HART to Blinken: Don’t abandon Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan

Yesterday, the Government of Azerbaijan released 32 of its Armenian hostages, in exchange for Armenia’s release of two Azerbaijani soldiers who had been detained after infiltrating sovereign Armenian territory and killing an Armenian civilian.

We have mixed feelings about this news:

• We are grateful for the release of these 32 hostages – many of whom were held captive in Baku for nearly three years. A huge relief for them and their families!
• But what about the dozens of Armenian hostages who remain in captivity? When will they be released? And who will hold Azerbaijan to account for such flagrant cruelty and breaches of international law?

We’ve written to U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, urging him not to abandon the Armenian hostages held in Azerbaijan. Our letter is co-signed by the Armenian National Committee of America, Genocide Watch, Christian Solidarity International and others.