Congressional leaders join ANCA in demanding accountability for  Armenian and Artsakh Genocides

ArmInfo. Congressional leaders joined with Armenian Americans and allies from across the country on April 2nd for the annual Capitol Hill observance of the Armenian  Genocide, issuing bipartisan calls for Azerbaijan's immediate release  of Armenian prisoners, the right of return for displaced Artsakh  Armenians, and U.S. sanctions on both the Aliyev and Erdogan regimes  for war crimes and genocidal ethnic cleansing, reported the Armenian  National Committee of America (ANCA).

    The solemn remembrance - titled "Reversing the 2023 Artsakh Genocide  | Remembering the 1915-23 Armenian Genocide," held in the U.S.  Capitol Visitor Center's HVC-215 room, featured powerful testimony  and policy demands to hold Turkey and Azerbaijan accountable for  their genocidal crimes against the Armenian nation.

"The crime did not end in 1915 - it continues today," stated ANCA  Chairman George Aghjayan, who offered a poignant personal reflection  on genocide survival, sharing the story of his great-aunt, who  witnessed the beheading of her father and spent six years enslaved  before being rescued. Then, recalling his 2020 trip to Artsakh just  days after the war, he described seeing the same fear and devastation  on the faces of displaced children that his grandmother had once  carried. "These are not separate events. They are tied together," he  stressed. "What Armenians have always wanted is to live in peace -  but that peace must be just, and it must be durable. As Armenian  Americans, we demand action."

    Hosted by the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues with the  support of the ANCA and the Armenian Assembly, the Capitol Hill  program served as the capstone to two days of intensive grassroots  advocacy organized by the ANCA Eastern Region and Western Region. As  part of ANCA Advocacy Days, hundreds of activists from across the  U.S. met with their Senators and Representatives on April 1st and 2nd  to advance pro-Armenian legislative priorities.  

The event was live-streamed on ANCA's social media platforms and is  available for viewing on YouTube at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQVg4Xu9t_w.  

A dozen U.S. Senate and House members shared remarks and offered  support for the event including Senators Cory Booker (NJ), Andy Kim  (NJ), Ed Markey (MA), and Adam Schiff (CA), Congressional Armenian  Caucus Founding Co-Chair Frank Pallone (NJ) and Vice Chair Brad  Sherman (CA) and Representatives Gabe Amo (RI), Herb Conaway (NJ),  Jim Costa (CA), Laura Friedman (CA), George Latimer (NY), and Jim  McGovern (MA).  

Sen. Ed Markey reaffirmed his long-standing support for the Armenian  American community, condemning Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing of  Artsakh and urging immediate U.S. action to defend Armenian rights  and sovereignty. "Azerbaijani forces have committed documented war  crimes: These crimes demand accountability," stated Sen. Markey, as  he announced a letter to the State Department urging Global Magnitsky  sanctions on Azerbaijani officials responsible for atrocities. He  also called for the release of Armenian POWs, noting Azerbaijan's  recent expulsion of the International Committee of the Red Cross and  ongoing violations of international law. "The United States must use  every diplomatic and economic tool at its disposal to secure the  immediate release of these detainees," he urged. Recounting his  recent trip to Baku with Rep. Frank Pallone to participate in the  United Nations COP-29 summit, Markey described the heightened  security required during their visit - including government-assigned  bodyguards who insisted on sweeping their hotel rooms for threats -  as a stark reflection of the regime's oppressive environment. "We  went to deliver the message to the Azerbaijani government that  Armenia and its rights must be protected," he said. Concluding on a  note of determined solidarity, he pledged: "We must ensure a  resolution that guarantees Armenian sovereignty, the release of  prisoners, and the right of return for the people of Artsakh." 

Sen. Adam Schiff delivered a stirring message centered on historical  justice, cultural memory, and urgent policy action. He chronicled the  Armenian Genocide through the story of Leo Kolegian, a survivor who  rebuilt his life in California, and tied that history directly to  modern-day ethnic cleansing in Artsakh.  "Turkey's denial has become  a genocide on top of a genocide: an erasure of memory and of  history," stated Sen. Schiff. He condemned Azerbaijan's 2023 assault  and blockade, describing how "the Aliyev regime took control of  Artsakh: and ethically cleansed the indigenous Armenian population."  Schiff also announced that he had submitted a provision to this  year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directing the U.S.  to prioritize securing the release of Armenian POWs and missing  persons. "Congress must remain focused on those being held and those  still missing: I am standing firm, and you have my word, that I will  always stand firm alongside the Armenian community." 

Sen. Andy Kim, newly elected to the U.S. Senate, offered heartfelt  remarks rooted in his academic and diplomatic background focused on  preventing genocide and mass atrocities. A former U.S. State  Department official and national security expert, Kim emphasized that  the Armenian Genocide is not just a historical tragedy, but a living  lesson in preventing future atrocities. "I actually dedicated my  entire academic work, my entire PhD dissertation to genocides and  mass atrocities throughout history," stated Sen. Kim. "I stand before  you to pay tribute and recognize the past, but also to stand  alongside you going forward to make sure that we have to be able to  deliver for your kids and your grandkids a better peaceful world that  you and your families deserve." 

Rep. Frank Pallone offered a sweeping assessment of U.S. policy  challenges and reiterated bipartisan support for Armenian rights and  regional security. He condemned Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing of  Artsakh and expressed grave concern about the broader goals of  Armenia's adversaries. "Our fear is that Azerbaijan and  Turkey-Armenia's neighbors who are not friends-have an ultimate goal  to just eliminate the Republic of Armenia itself," warned Rep.  Pallone. He reaffirmed support for international pressure to release  Armenian political prisoners and restore the right of return for  Artsakh Armenians. "We still believe that Artsakh should be its own  Armenian Republic: We still believe people should have the right to  return," stated Pallone. He concluded by urging deeper U.S.-Armenia  ties, including military assistance:  "We have to arm Armenia: to  make them strong militarily as well as economically." 

Rep. Brad Sherman, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs,  delivered an unflinching indictment of Azerbaijan's crimes and  Turkey's active complicity in the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. "Yes,  Aliyev displaced the people of Artsakh, but he didn't do it without  Erdogan," stated Rep. Sherman, condemning Turkey's military support  for Azerbaijan. Drawing on his 28 years of service on the committee  overseeing arms exports, Sherman made his position on weapons sales  to Turkey unmistakably clear: "F-16s? No. F- 35s? Hell no!" He also  underscored the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing over 100,000  displaced Armenians and stressed that "until Artsakh's Armenians are  able to return to their homes, the United States must provide aid to  Armenia." Looking to the future, Sherman closed with a hopeful  pledge: "I look forward to visiting Stepanakert when once again the  people who live there can live there in peace and in freedom." 

Rep. Jim McGovern, a longtime ally of the Armenian American  community, delivered a passionate call for U.S. action rooted in both  remembrance and accountability. Representing Worcester, home to the  oldest Armenian community in the United States, McGovern reflected on  years attending Genocide commemorations where survivors once filled  the front pews. "It took far too long to acknowledge what some wanted  the world to forget," said Rep. McGovern, underscoring the importance  of grassroots advocacy in achieving Armenian Genocide recognition.  Turning to the present crisis, he urged immediate action to "free the  Armenians still being held prisoner in Azerbaijan" and condemned the  destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh. As  international actors discuss a potential peace agreement between  Armenia and Azerbaijan, McGovern stressed that any such deal must be  durable, enforceable, and grounded in justice. "We want a peace  agreement that is real: not just a peace agreement on paper," he  said, pledging, "You have my word that I will be wind at your back." 

Rep. Laura Friedman, representing the largest Armenian American  constituency in the United States, offered powerful, deeply personal  remarks rooted in decades of public service alongside the Armenian  community. From her early work in Glendale to her leadership in  California's Legislative Armenian Caucus, Friedman has championed  Genocide recognition, cultural preservation, and justice for Artsakh.   She recalled her travels to Armenia and Artsakh, where she visited  centuries-old churches, graveyards, and heritage sites tied directly  to her constituents' ancestors. "To now see photos of those very same  cultural legacy sites destroyed by Azerbaijan is absolutely  heartbreaking," stated Rep. Friedman. "This is being done: to erase  the history of that region and to try to pretend as though Artsakh  and Armenia are not the absolute heart and soul of the Armenian  people." Emphasizing both the right to return and self-  determination, she pledged to ensure U.S. leadership in any peace  process involving Armenia and Azerbaijan: "I will do my best to  ensure that when Armenia is at that negotiating table, it's the full  force of the United States standing beside and behind Armenia: and  the people of Artsakh get the justice that so long has been denied." 

Rep. Herb Conaway delivered principled remarks grounded in his  understanding of history, justice, and the fight against  authoritarianism. A son of a history teacher and newly pledged member  of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, he emphasized the need to  protect truth from erasure and preserve the dignity of oppressed  peoples. "People who engage in aggression strike at the history of a  people-they want to erase the history," stated Rep. Conaway. "The  United States must exert its leadership: working with others to  ensure that free peoples remain free, and that we always stand for  what is true and what is right." He reaffirmed his commitment to  human rights and pledged to be a reliable ally in advancing Armenian  American priorities in Congress.  

Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) sent a poignant poster featuring the Armenian  Genocide Memorial at Fresno State University-the only such memorial  on a U.S. college campus.  

Actor, writer, and producer Joe Manganiello offered a moving  reflection on his great-grandmother's survival of the Armenian  Genocide and the legacy of generational trauma it left behind. In  recounting her harrowing escape from Kharpert, Manganiello described  how she survived a bullet wound, swam across the Euphrates River with  her last remaining child, and ultimately came to the United States -  only to lose that child to drowning along the way. "I feel like I  answered a message in a bottle that was thrown out by her in 1915,"  he said, describing his recent journey to Armenia and the emotional  moment of planting a tree at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in  Yerevan. "We're in danger of the culture being lost," he warned. "As  the turbulence rises in that area of the world, we have to get out  there and protect that homeland." Emphasizing the need for truth and  advocacy, he added, "There are so many people out there that don't  know that the genocide exists until we say it. So let everybody know.  Make sure that they do know. And let's all heal together." 

The evening began with an invocation by Rev. Father Sarkis  Aktavoukian of Soorp Khatch Armenian Church in Bethesda, MD. "We ask  you, Lord, to look with your mercy on the Republic of Armenia and  Artsakh, whose sovereign territory has been breached by those who  would see the entire Armenian nation and its people erased from the  face of the earth," prayed Rev. Aktavoukian. "We also pray for a just  solution for the people of Artsakh, as well as for the return of the  prisoners of war captured by Azerbaijan during the 44-day war of 2020  and have yet to be released." 

Keith Nahigian, president of Nahigian Strategies and co-founder at  Big Whig Media, served as master of ceremonies for the evening. He  reflected on his Armenian American journey and the enduring mission  to preserve truth, justice, and memory. He praised the ANCA and  Armenian Assembly for educating generations of elected officials and  youth alike about the Armenian Genocide and the modern-day threats  faced by Armenia and Artsakh. "This mission will never be over  because the threat against the Christian people will never end,"  Nahigian said, recounting the story of his great-grandfather's murder  and the miraculous survival of his grandfather during the Armenian  Genocide. "It was these two organizations that helped educate us when  we came to Washington to learn about our heritage. That's why I was  honored to help shine a light on the ethnic cleansing in Artsakh over  the past few years through the 120,000 Reasons campaign." 

Taleen Yacoubian, Co-Chair of the Armenian Assembly of America,  emphasized that the Capitol Hill observance was not only a moment of  mourning, but also a mobilization for justice. Reflecting on her  testimony earlier that day before the House Appropriations  Subcommittee and her meetings with dozens of Armenian American  college students, Yacoubian spoke to the heartbreak of continuing to  advocate for fundamental rights more than a century after the  Armenian Genocide. "The Armenian people have endured genocide, exile,  and erasure. But we are still here. And we are not asking for  charity. We are demanding accountability, security, and peace," she  stated. "We ask America not just to remember history, but to help  shape its course: to secure the release of the hostages, and to  ensure a lasting peace for a people who have suffered too long." 

The annual Capitol Hill commemoration serves as a stark reminder of  the urgent need for justice-not just remembrance.  The ANCA's focus  remains clear: enforce the statutory prohibition on U.S. military aid  to Azerbaijan, impose Magnitsky sanctions on Azerbaijani war  criminals, ensure the release of Armenian prisoners of war, secure  the right of return for Artsakh's displaced Armenians under  international protection, and press for a balanced peace that rejects  threats of force and affirms Armenia's sovereignty.  The ANCA will  continue to demand accountability from Turkey and Azerbaijan and urge  the U.S. to take decisive action against their genocidal policies.

Video from "Reversing the 2023 Artsakh Genocide | Remembering the  1915-23 Armenian Genocide" is available on the ANCA YouTube channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQVg4Xu9t_w