27 senators demand immediate and unconditional release of all  Armenian prisoners of war held by Azerbaijan

ArmInfo.  Twenty-seven U.S.  senators, led by Senators Ed Markey and Sheldon Whitehouse, have sent a letter to Secretary of tate Marco Rubio calling on the Trump administration to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian prisoners of war and political leaders held by Azerbaijan, as reported by the Armenian National Committee of  America (ANCA).

The letter, as noted in the report, calls on the Trump administration  to press for international monitors to access sham trials in Baku and   impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on Azerbaijani officials  responsible for gross human rights violations. 

 "The fact that twenty-seven Senate Democrats - more than half the  caucus, including Leader Chuck Schumer - signed the Markey-Whitehouse  letter demanding Azerbaijan's immediate release of Armenian hostages  elevates Armenian issues on the U.S. foreign policy agenda -  meaningfully raising the bar for Congressional Republicans and the  Trump-Vance Administration," ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian  stated. 

The senators' letter states: " these political hostages:have suffered  abuse and degrading treatment in custody, while secrecy and  irregularities surrounding proceedings in Baku's military court cast  significant doubt on the fairness and legitimacy of these  proceedings," the Senators wrote. "The Azerbaijani government's  recent expulsion of the International Committee of the Red Cross -  the only organization authorized to visit Armenian detainees -  further endangers the safety and security of these Armenian political  prisoners.." The letter emphasizes that "it is now two years since  Azerbaijan's blockade and military assault on Nagorno-Karabakh  (Artsakh) forcibly displaced the region's 120,000 Christian Armenians  in what international legal experts have characterized as ethnic  cleansing."

The Senators urged Secretary Rubio to take three specific actions in  engagements with the government of Azerbaijan: demand the immediate  and unconditional release of all Armenian political prisoners and  prisoners of war; press Azerbaijani authorities to allow  international observers and independent media outlets to monitor  proceedings against Armenian political figures; and impose sanctions  under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act on  Azerbaijan officials responsible for gross human rights violations  against Armenian prisoners.

Referring to the US-brokered agreements, the senators noted: "  Although we are cautiously hopeful that the recent negotiations  between Armenia and Azerbaijan may usher in a more peaceful future  for the region, Azerbaijan's ongoing hostage diplomacy and  unreasonable preconditions jeopardize that progress," the Senators  wrote. "The draft agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan omits any  provision for releasing Armenian prisoners. Magnitsky Sanctions  remain a critical tool to secure the release of POWs and deter  further aggression against Armenia."

The letter warns that "continued U.S. inaction in the face of  Azerbaijan's authoritarian aggression is unacceptable and will have  grave ramifications for U.S. credibility throughout the region,  particularly as Armenia seeks to strengthen its ties with the West."  The Senators concluded their letter by stating: "It is both a moral  and strategic imperative for the United States to take bold action to  compel Azerbaijan to release unjustly detained Armenian prisoners and  ensure regional peace is predicated on accountability, justice, and  the fundamental right of return for Nagorno- Karabakh's displaced  Armenian population."