Rep. Chris Smith Leads Capitol Hill Hearing Spotlighting Azerbaijan’s Genocide of Artsakh; Armenian Prisoners

WASHINGTON – Reversing Azerbaijan’s genocide of Artsakh and securing the release of Armenian hostages illegally held in Baku were the focus of attention at the Congressional hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ).

The hearing, titled “Human Rights in Azerbaijan since the COP 29 UN Climate Change Conference,” brought renewed urgency to U.S. Congressional action aimed at returning Armenians to Artsakh, holding Azerbaijan accountable, releasing Armenian hostages, and ending U.S. complicity in the Aliyev regime’s crimes.

“The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing offered an unflinching look at Azerbaijan’s genocide of Artsakh’s indigenous Armenians and its ongoing abuse of Armenian hostages. Chairman Chris Smith and each of the witnesses gave voice to the truth, to justice, and the moral imperative for U.S. action,” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

“This hearing sends a clear message: the time for words has passed – the time for meaningful sanctions, Congressional legislation, and real pressure on Baku is now,” Hamparian added.

Chairman Chris Smith: We Must “Ratchet Up” Pressure on Azerbaijan
In his opening remarks, Chairman Smith laid bare the core issue: “We need to work for the release of political prisoners and POWs held by the government of Azerbaijan, to protect Armenian cultural heritage, and to uphold the right to return one day to live in peace and freedom in Nagorno-Karabakh.”  He noted that, “Aliyev took prisoners during the conquest of Artsakh and uses them to manipulate the anger of Azerbaijan’s exploited citizens.”

Chairman Smith then announced his intention to re-introduce the Azerbaijan Democracy Act, legislation that would place direct political and economic consequences on Azerbaijan for its human rights violations and war crimes. “We need to push very hard for this new bill. It must be bipartisan – to show that we’re all on the same page, and that we care deeply, especially for the prisoners of war and the political prisoners,” stated Rep. Smith.  He anticipated, “there will be a lobbying effort by people on K Street to kill it. That happened before. But this time we’re ready. We know exactly what Aliyev is – a despot. And we’ll do everything we can to pass this bill.”

Chairman Smith also called for comprehensive sanctions targeting top Azerbaijani officials under existing U.S. laws.  “We’ve got the Magnitsky sanctions, the Global Magnitsky Act, which we need to be doing the analysis and then meting out those sanctions to the appropriate abusers everywhere, including in Azerbaijan,” he stated. “And I think it starts with the top, frankly, with Aliyev.”

Chairman Smith emphasized the importance of religious freedom accountability, expressing disappointment that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) had not recommended that Azerbaijan be designated a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC).  “That should be revisited immediately, and the Secretary of State should act.”

Chairman Smith also pledged to escalate U.S. engagement at the highest levels to secure the release of Armenian prisoners and hold Azerbaijan accountable for its crimes. “We really need to ratchet this up big time. And for Ruben [Vardanyan], we need to, and all the others, do everything we can to effectuate the release, to get all of this downtown to the White House, and to [Secretary] Marco Rubio,” he said. “We’re going to do everything we can to get all of this to him because again, he’s got a lot on his plate, but he cares deeply about human rights,” concluded Smith.

Former Artsakh State Minister and Human Rights Ombudsman Artak Beglaryan delivered a devastating eyewitness account of Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing campaign.

“Within three years, Azerbaijan successfully perpetrated a full genocide against my people… through blockade, military assaults, the unlawful abduction of our leaders, destruction of cultural heritage, and relentless anti-Armenian hatred. In September 2023, I and 120,000 others were forcibly displaced – every Armenian ethnically cleansed from Artsakh,” Beglaryan said in his testimony.

Beglaryan detailed how Azerbaijan’s genocidal actions are rooted in a systemic policy of hatred. “There is an anti-Armenian hatred policy and system in Azerbaijan. Actually, this is the number one foundation for both anti-Armenian mass atrocities, but also for the internal domestic human rights violations and repressions,” Beglaryan explained. “It is the number one pillar of Aliyev’s dictatorial regime. He keeps power based on this anti-Armenian hatred and distracts the Azerbaijani people to the external enemy – Armenians.”

He warned that Azerbaijan used the COP 29 conference to obscure its atrocities while preparing for new aggression. “Aliyev is emboldened also as a result of COP 29 – greenwashing all kinds of mass atrocities,” Beglaryan said. “Hosting the COP 29 conference allowed Aliyev to present himself internationally as a respectable leader concerned about global issues, even while committing genocide, destroying cultural heritage, and blocking humanitarian aid.”

Beglaryan further warned, that “now Aliyev is threatening the sovereign territory of Armenia itself. After achieving full ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, the Azerbaijani regime is openly making territorial claims against southern Armenia, escalating military threats, and preparing for new rounds of violence.”

Beglaryan called on Congress to back a seven-point plan, including:

• Formal recognition of the Artsakh genocide.
• Targeted sanctions (travel bans, asset freezes) on Azerbaijani officials.
• Support for international investigations of mass atrocities.
• Suspension of all U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan.
• Human rights benchmarks for any U.S. assistance.
• Deployment of international monitors to assess return conditions and protect cultural heritage.
• High-level diplomatic pressure to enforce International Court of Justice rulings and guarantee the right of return under robust international protection.

Genser: Political Prisoners Are Symbols of a Dictator’s Brutality
Jared Genser, Managing Director of Perseus Strategies, LLC, who is the attorney for former Artsakh Minister and Azerbaijan hostage Ruben Vardanyan, highlighted the repression faced by Artsakh’s leadership and Christian Armenians imprisoned in Azerbaijan.

“Ruben’s ongoing imprisonment remains a powerful symbol of Aliyev’s brutality. He faces life in prison on more than 40 fabricated charges. His trial is a mockery of justice: closed proceedings, no access to legal counsel, and even denial of the Bible. He was tortured during a hunger strike. And he’s not alone – at least 23 Armenians are being held in sham trials, and hundreds more have been forcibly disappeared.”

Genser explained that the Azerbaijani regime has launched politically motivated prosecutions against current and former officials of Artsakh, as well as civilians and POWs, all in a broader effort to erase Armenian leadership and identity from the region.

“Dictators never release prisoners because they are asked. They do so only when compelled,” Genser stated. “That’s why the Azerbaijan Democracy Act, public hearings, international referrals, and real sanctions are critical.”

The 23 Armenian hostages, including eight current and former leaders of Artsakh, illegally imprisoned by Azerbaijan are: Davit Allahverdyan, Davit Babayan (former Artsakh Foreign Minister), Madat Babayan, Levon Balayan, Rashid Beglaryan, Vasili Beglaryan, Davit Davtyan, Vicken Euljekjian, Erik Ghazaryan, Arkadi Ghukasyan (former Artsakh President), Arayik Harutyunyan (former Artsakh President), Davit Ishkhanyan (Chairman of the Artsakh National Assembly), Vagif Khachatryan, Alyosha Khosrovyan, Davit Manukyan (General and former Commander of the Artsakh Armed Forces), Garik Martrosyan, Lyudvig Mkrtchyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan (General and former Commander of the Defense Forces), Melikset Pashayan, Bako Sahakyan (former Artsakh President), Gurgen Stepanyan, Gevorg Sujyan, and Ruben Vardanyan (former State Minister of Artsakh).

Lanskoy & Prasow Detail Azerbaijan’s Crackdown on Civil Society and Press Freedom
Miriam Lanskoy, Senior Director for Russia and Eurasia at the National Endowment for Democracy, and Andrea Prasow, Executive Director of Freedom Now, offered sobering testimony on Azerbaijan’s sharp deterioration of internal freedoms and human rights following COP 29.

Lanskoy described Azerbaijan today as “one of the most repressive states in the world,” explaining that “the government has targeted not only opposition politicians and journalists but also youth groups, environmental activists, and those working on anti-corruption issues.” She emphasized that, despite Azerbaijan’s international posturing, “inside the country there is pervasive fear, widespread corruption, and growing dissatisfaction. Those who criticize are immediately jailed or silenced.”

Prasow echoed these concerns, focusing on the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s hosting of COP 29: “Five months after COP 29, not one political prisoner was released – in fact, more were arrested. The Aliyev regime used the climate summit as a propaganda stage, while doubling down on repression. This included interrogating activists over their ties to USAID and arresting human rights leaders on fabricated charges.”

She stressed the need for a unified American response, warning: “The U.S. government must speak with one voice. The perception that our allegiances can be exploited by authoritarians must end.”

Rep. Chris Smith: A Legacy of Human Rights Leadership
Rep. Chris Smith has long been one of Congress’s most consistent and effective champions of international human rights. Throughout his four-decade career, he has chaired nearly 700 human rights hearings, using his leadership positions to elevate the voices of oppressed communities worldwide, including the Armenian people.

Smith recalled holding an emergency hearing on the Artsakh blockade in 2023, calling attention to Azerbaijan’s use of starvation as a weapon:  “As some of you may recall, we did an emergency hearing at the time when they were using food as a weapon, reminiscent of Mengistu in Ethiopia… but even more so, this was an act of genocide.”

He also reflected on three historic hearings he chaired on the Armenian Genocide:  “I remember when we had the three hearings on the Armenian Genocide… we had an ambassador sit at the table along with the Armenians […] The Turkish ambassador told us, ‘Well, we may have to end your base in Incirlik.’ What kind of NATO ally is that who can’t acknowledge a genocide?” asked Rep. Smith.

“Even though the facts of the Armenian Genocide are absolute – anyone who denies it, it’s like saying the Holocaust didn’t happen. It’s a denial that only brings dishonor on the denier,” said Smith.