June 21, 2023

Date: Wed, 06/21/2023 - 2:15 PM

Location: 2360 Rayburn House Office Building

Announcement

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on safeguarding the people of Nagorno-Karabakh as risks of renewed violence in and around the enclave increase.

Two and a half years after a bloody six-week war pushed Armenian forces out of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions of Azerbaijan, tensions are again escalating. A blockade of the Lachin corridor to Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijani-backed activists has entered its 7th month, and on April 23 Azerbaijan opened a military checkpoint on the corridor that is widely viewed as inconsistent with the provisions of the 2020 ceasefire agreement that ended the last war. A number of international efforts are underway to mitigate the risk of a new full-blown war, including by officials at the U.S. State Department. One major issue is what is required to adequately protect the rights and safety of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Azerbaijan seeks to assert control.

This hearing will examine the measures required to adequately safeguard, during this period of blockade and negotiation, a vulnerable ethnic population, and offer recommendations for U.S. policy.

This hearing will be open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media. The hearing will be livestreamed via the Commission website and will also be available for viewing on channel 53 of the House Digital Channel service. For any questions, please contact Mark Milosch (for Co-Chair Smith) or Kimberly Stanton (for Co-Chair McGovern).

Hosted by:

Christopher H. Smith
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC

James P. McGovern
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC

Opening Remarks

Rep. Christopher H. Smith, Co-Chair, TLHRC
Written remarks

Rep. James P. McGovern, Co-Chair, TLHRC
Written remarks

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
Written remarks

Witnesses

Panel I

• Ambassador Sam Brownback
  Written Remarks
• Michael Rubin, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
  Written Remarks
• David Phillips, Director, Peace-Building and Human Rights Program, Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Columbia University
  Written Remarks
• John M. Evans, Former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Department of State
  Written Remarks

Bios

Submitted for the Record

• Rep. Adam Schiff, Member of the TLHRC, Statement Submitted for the Record
• John M. Evans, Response to Questions for the Record Submitted by TLHRC Co-Chair James P. McGovern
• Dr. Aziz Alakbarov, Chairman, Western Azerbaijan Community, Statement Submitted for the Record
• Board of the Congressional Armenian Staff Association, Statement Submitted for the Record
• Armenian Civil Society Organizations, Statement Submitted for the Record
• Azerbaijani Students Association, Letter to the Members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, June 21, 2023
• International Crisis Group, New Troubles in Nagorno-Karabakh: Understanding the Lachin Corridor Crisis, May 22, 2023
• Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh, Report on the Violations of Individual and Collective Human Rights as a Result of Azerbaijan's Blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Six Months (excerpt), June 12 2023

For more information: humanrightscommission.house.gov/events/hearings/safeguarding-people-nagorno-karabakh