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What Drives Us

The United States  Armenian Council for Human Rights is a solution-focused 501(c)3 approved non-profit organization which specializes in the protection and preservation of peoples in the Caucuses, their culture, and their human rights. 

Artsakh Blockade Protests

"Blockade for a Blockade"

 

Citywide Protests in August, 2023

LA, CA

 

As of December 12th, 2022, Azerbaijan has blockaded and cut off the entire population of Artaskh. Over 120,000 residents, including 30,000 children, are deprived of food, medicine, and other basic supplies they are in dire need of. Hospitals have indefinitely put surgeries on hold. Schools are closed due to the shortages and children are going hungry. 

 

Find more Protests Photos and Videos on USACHR IG Page

IG LINK

Armenian Genocide Commemorative Rally For Justice

April 24, 2023 at 10 am

Little Armenia, Hollywood

Havahannes Ayvazyan

Email Blast to The MET-Urging MET to correct Ayvazovsky's Ethnicity to Armenian form Ukrainian

The MET museum has kindly corrected Ayvazovsky's ethnicity to Armenian after receiving hundreds of emails from Armenian Diasporans worldwide organized by USACHR team. We are proud to honor Ayvazovsky, greatest Armenian painter and we will make sure that his legacy is always kept accurate.
 

Artwork Details Title: Ship by Moonlight

Artist: Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (Hovhannes Aivazian) (Armenian, born Russian Empire [now Ukraine], Feodosia (Theodosia) 1817–1900 Feodosia (Theodosia))

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 6 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. (15.9 x 23.5 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Bequest of Mary Jane Dastich, in memory of her husband, General Frank Dastich, 1975

Accession Number: 1975.280.2

___________________________
 
Email Blast:
 
Dear Metropolitan Museum of Art,
 
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the recent decision to recognize Ivan Aivazovsky as a Ukrainian artist, instead of an Armenian one. This decision not only lacks cultural accuracy, but also constitutes a clear act of Armenophobia, which denies the Armenian roots of the artist and erases the Armenian culture and history.
 
Ivan Aivazovsky, was of Armenian descent and had strong connections to the Armenian culture. He was known for his paintings that depicted Armenian historical and cultural events, such as the Armenian Genocide, and for his support for the Armenian people. Therefore, to claim that he was Ukrainian and not Armenian is not only misleading, but also a clear attempt to minimize the Armenian cultural heritage and erase the Armenian history.
 
As an Armenian, I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision and recognize Ivan Aivazovsky as an Armenian artist. This recognition is not only a matter of cultural accuracy, but also a step towards acknowledging and celebrating the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Armenian people.
 
The origin and cultural background of an individual should not be subject to change or negotiation, regardless of geopolitical changes or other factors. It is imperative that cultural institutions such as yours remain steadfast in preserving and promoting cultural heritage and honoring the cultural identity of individuals.
 
I believe that cultural institutions have a responsibility to preserve and promote cultural heritage, and to educate the public about the rich cultural heritage of the world. In this case, the recognition of Ivan Aivazovsky as Ukrainian, instead of Armenian, is a clear violation of this responsibility, and a clear manifestation of Armenophobia.
 
I kindly request that you take immediate action to correct this mistake and recognize Ivan Aivazovsky as an Armenian artist. I would be grateful if you could provide me with an update on the steps that you have taken to address this issue.
 
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your prompt reply.
 
Sincerely,
Link to MET

Introduction of New Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations

PRESS STATEMENT

ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE

FEBRUARY 1, 2023

 
 

I am appointing Louis L. Bono, a member of the Senior Foreign Service, as Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations. In this capacity, Mr. Bono will work with regional leaders to advance the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to address Russia’s ongoing occupation of sovereign Georgian territory. Mr. Bono brings a wealth of multilateral and bilateral experience to the position, having served as Acting Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Offices in Vienna and Chargė d’Affaires, ad interim to the Holy See. He has also served as Director of the Basrah Regional Office, on the National Security Council, and as an advisor to the Deputy Secretary of State and to the Under Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs. He is retired from the Army Reserves, where he was an instructor at West Point and the Army War College.

The United States is committed to helping Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiate a comprehensive peace agreement, including a long-term political settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Mr. Bono will engage bilaterally, with likeminded partners, including the European Union, and with international organizations, such as the OSCE, to facilitate direct dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. His appointment also reaffirms the importance the United States places on Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the role of the Geneva International Discussions on Georgia, the only international format addressing Russia’s ongoing occupation of 20 percent of Georgia’s territory.

Source

January 18, 2023 Joint motion for a resolution - RC-B9-0075/2023 European Parliament

European Parliament resolution on the humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh

(2023/2504(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Armenia and Azerbaijan,

– having regard to Rules 144(5) and 132(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world, the Lachin corridor, has been blocked by self-proclaimed environmentalists from Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022; whereas this has disrupted access to essential goods and services, including food, fuel and medication, for the 120 000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, effectively placing them under a blockade;

B. whereas the blockade has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, significantly affecting the most vulnerable populations; whereas the transfer of critically ill patients is nearly impossible, with one death resulting from this situation; whereas hundreds of families remain separated;

C. whereas this humanitarian crisis was further aggravated by Azerbaijan’s disruption of the natural gas supply to Nagorno-Karabakh, which left houses, hospitals and schools without heating;

D. whereas by sustaining the blockade of the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan is breaching its international obligations under the trilateral ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020, under which Azerbaijan must guarantee the security of persons, vehicles and cargo moving along the corridor in both directions;

E. whereas the impediments to the use of the Lachin corridor set back the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and undermine international confidence;

1. Deplores the tragic humanitarian consequences of the blockade of the Lachin corridor and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict;

2. Urges Azerbaijan to respect and implement the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 and immediately reopen the Lachin corridor to enable free movement and ensure access to essential goods and services, thus guaranteeing security in the region and safeguarding residents’ livelihoods;

3. Underlines the need for a comprehensive peace agreement, which must guarantee the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population; calls on Azerbaijan to protect the rights of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh and refrain from its inflammatory rhetoric that calls for discrimination against Armenians and urges Armenians to leave Nagorno-Karabakh;

4. Urges Azerbaijan to refrain from undermining the functioning of transport, energy and communication connections between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in future;

5. Strongly condemns Azerbaijan’s scapegoating of human rights defenders and CSOs and calls on EU and Member State representations to support their work;

6. Condemns the inaction of Russian ‘peacekeepers’; considers that their replacement with OSCE international peacekeepers, under a UN mandate, should be negotiated urgently;

7. Calls for international organisations to be granted unimpeded access to Nagorno-Karabakh to assess the situation and provide the necessary humanitarian assistance;

8. Calls for a UN or OSCE fact-finding mission to the Lachin corridor to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground;

9. Calls for the urgent resumption, without preconditions, of negotiations based on the principles of the Helsinki Final Act;

10. Calls for the EU to be actively involved and ensure that the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh are no longer held hostage by Baku’s activism, Russia’s destructive role and the Minsk Group’s inactivity;

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to Armenia, Azerbaijan and international institutions.

 

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January 18, 2023, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Canadian parliament adopts motion for meetings on Artsakh Blockage

In an unprecedented move, the The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Canadian parliament unanimously adopted a motion, calling for a maximum of three meetings on the blockage of the Lachin Corridor and to hear directly from Artsakh State representatives, The Armenian National Committee of Canada reports.

This is a historic move that will officially give an opportunity to representatives of the Republic of Artsakh to speak in front of the Canadian Parliament.

The motion reads as follows; “That, pursuant to standing order 108(2) the Committee undertakes to hold a maximum of three meetings to study the present situation of the blockage of the Lachin Corridor, de facto isolating the Nagorno-Karabakh region; that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, the Ambassador of Armenia, the chargé d’affaires a.i. of Azerbaijan, representatives of the two communities in Canada, the Permanent Representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to the United States and Canada and Gegham Stepanyan, the Nagorno-Karabakh Human Rights Defender be invited to testify by Friday, February 3, 2023; that the testimony and materials gathered by the community at these meetings be taken into consideration in the study of the security of the Azerbaijan Armenia borders and that deadline to submit additional witnesses to the clerk be at noon, on Friday, January 20.”

 

 

Source

January 3, 2023 Rally for Life

On January 3rd, 2023 a car Rally for Life was organized by multiple organizations in Los Angeles took place to spread awareness of the Artsakh Blockage. Rally started in Burbank for St.Leon Armenian church and ended in front of LA City Mayors Karen Bass residence. Community activists demanded Bass use her contact with VP Harris to secure US intervention-an immediate halt of all aid to Azerbaijan, a humanitarian airlift to Artsakh, and a clear position in support of self determination for Artsakh.

 

Protest prompt Mayoral tweet calling for end to genocidal blockage of Artsakh, followed by joint letter with LA City Council President Paul Krekorian to President Biden to end illegal blockage of Artsakh by Russia and Azerbaijan.

Conditions are present for genocide against the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh).

On December 12, the government of Azerbaijan imposed a blockade on Nagorno Karabakh and its 120,000 Armenian residents, preventing food, medicine, gas, and other vital goods from transiting through the Lachin Corridor, the only land route into the region.

The government of Azerbaijan has long promoted official hatred of Armenians, has fostered impunity for atrocities committed against Armenians, and has issued repeated threats to conquer not only Nagorno Karabakh, but also Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, by force.

The present blockade is designed to, in the words of the Genocide Convention, “deliberately inflict conditions of life calculated to bring about the end of a national, ethnical, racial or religious group in whole or in part.”

All 14 risk factors for atrocity crimes identified by the UN Secretary-General’s Office on Genocide Prevention are now present.

The current Azerbaijani aggression against the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh conforms to a long pattern of ethnic and religious cleansing of Armenian and other Christian communities in the region by the government of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Turkey, the Ottoman Empire, and their partisans.

We call on all contracting parties to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Russian Federation, to fulfill their obligations, through the UN Security Council, to prevent another chapter of the Armenian Genocide.

We also call on the UN Security Council to act to ensure unrestricted humanitarian access for all international organizations to Nagorno Karabakh, in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Lela Gilbert (Fellow: Hudson Center for International Religious Freedom)

Prof Elisa Von Joeden-Forgey (Endowed Chair, Dept. of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Keene State College)

René Léonian (President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in Eurasia)

Prof Armen T. Marsoobian (First Vice President, International Association of Genocide Scholars)

Prof Irene Victoria Massimino (Co-president, Lemkin Institute)

Sheila Paylan (International Human Rights Lawyer and Activist)

Dr. Gurgen Petrossian (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg)

 

Add your signature, click on the link 

 https://www.genocidewarning-nk.com

Followed the current event in the region, USACHR, Lemkin Institute for Genocide Provention and Human Rights Central Committee of Armenia, Russia in the USA are issuing a joint statement on the current threat that Armenias are facing at the hands of Azerbaijan

Following the current event in the region, USACHR, Lemkin Institute for Genocide Provention and Human Rights Central Committee of Armenia, Russia in the USA are issuing a joint statement on the current threat that Armenias are facing at the hands of Azerbaijan

Human Rights Central Committee of Armenia, Russia in the USA, U.S Armenian Council for Human Rights and the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention have been closely monitoring the current situation in Artsakh, more commonly known as Nagorno-Karabakh. 

On December 12, a group of Azerbaijanis claiming to be environmentalists blocked the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor - the only road connecting Artsakh with Armenia - for the second time in leas than a month. 

The authorities of Artsakh considered that these criminal actions are being carried out by secret service operatives attempting to provoke conflict. 

The humanitarian consequences of this 10 days long siege are catastrophic. Armenians in Artsakh are completely isolated. Azerbaijan has barricaded the only transport road connecting Artsakhis to Armenia proper, leaving, for example, patients to suffer and die due to the lack of access to medicine and proper medical equipment. 

The Artsakh State Service of Emergency Situations has announced that Azerbaijanis closed the road under the pretext of environmental concerns for allegedly illegal mining activities in Artsakh. 

Artsakh authorities have stated that they are ready for an international monitoring organization to verify the safety of their mining operations and have described the actions of Azerbaijanis as "unacceptable, aggressive, and destructive." The Russian peacekeeping contingent is aware of the situation, and Artsakh authorities are taking steps to resolve it and maintain contact with the Russian peacekeeping command. 

Isolating the Armenian community of Artsakh in the context of the aggressive war carried by the regime in Baku, its genocidal rhetoric and the history of genocide against Armenians, without access to any communication and basic human needs, is a genocidal action. The international community cannot continue to ignore the risk of genocide against Armenians, an indifference and risk that have become higher after the start of the Russian-Ukraine war. 

Human rights obligations and the protection of communities against international crimes such as genocide, cannot be selective. They must be universal. As human rights and genocide prevention organizations we demand the international community to equally address the different conflicts around the world and to respond to them as it has done with Ukraine. This request is no more than what has been accepted by States through the United Nations Charter and the international legal system. Condemning and sanctioning Azerbaijan's aggressions to Armenians is both a legal and a moral obligation.

October 23, 2022 Protest in Austin TX, Cancel Formula 1 Grand Prix in Azerbaijan

USACHR calls on Formula 1 to Cancel all future races in Baku in response to Azerbaijan's genocidal violence against Armenia and Armenians. 

Azerbaijan is one of the harshest dictatorships the world with political rights and civil liberties severely restricted. Azerbaijan is also actively committing genocidal violence against Armenians and has been for years. Formula 1 is another way that Azerbaijan portrays itself as a modern democratic state and hides its genocidal policies towards Armenians and other minorities. 

 

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Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention statement

The  Lemkin Institute for Genocide Preventionis joining the calls for F1 to cancel all future #races in #baku in response to #azerbaijan's #genocidalviolence against #armenia and #armenians. 

We call on sponsors of F1 to pull their sponsorship to boycott #Armenophobia & #genocidalviolence. ROLEX, Pirelli, aramco, @cryptocom, Heineken, @MSCCruises_PR, Salesforce, @AWS_UKI, Lenovo, LIQUI MOLYUSA, Zoom, & Workday the world is witnessing your silence. Do what's right.

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October 1, 2022 March in Santa Monica, CA Against Azerbaijani War Crimes and Candlelight Vigil for Martyred Armenian Women

On September 13, 2022, Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked and coordinated military invasion against the sovereign territory of Armenia.  Mortars and drones were directed to cause damage against Armenian military and civilian infrastructure in cities located on Armenia’s eastern border with Azerbaijan. 
During this invasion it became clear that at least five women were targeted and brutally murdered as part of Azerbaijan’s attack. Without identifying any names out of respect for the families’ privacy, one of the Armenian women was 36 years-old, who was raped, tortured, and killed, her body mutilated by Azerbaijani soldiers.  The Azeris filmed their barbaric acts, and posted the video on social media.  These acts were so evil that even The Azeri Times reported: “There is a video circulated in Telegram where the body of a woman Armenian soldier is mutilated, fingers cut, stone placed in her eye.  And Azerbaijani soldier is heard bragging about it. This is barbarism beyond words.  AzMOD must investigate this and punish perpetrators.” (Source: The Azeri Times @AzeriTimes, 9/16/2022, 4:27 a.m.)

Find more details on https://www.whyarewestillhere.com/whats-happening

Hold Those Responsible to Account

Video Shows Azerbaijan Forces Executing Armenian POWs

(Berlin, October 14, 2022) – The execution of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs), apparently by Azerbaijani forces during fighting between the countries in September 2022 is a war crime for which there needs to be accountability, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch analyzed a video posted on social media in early October showing the extrajudicial execution of at least seven Armenian POWs, apparently by Azerbaijani forces.

Azerbaijani authorities should ensure that the investigation opened by their prosecutor’s office is effective and leads to accountability for the soldiers and commanders responsible.

“Killing soldiers who have surrendered is a heinous war crime,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Azerbaijani authorities have opened an investigation that, in addition to leading to accountability, needs to be a key element in ensuring that such outrages never happen again.”.....

 

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September 16, 2022 Los Angeles City Hall

Request/Demand Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council Members to Urge US Senate and Congress to Sanction Azerbaijan and cut Military Aid on behalf of largest Armenian community in LA County. 

PAUL KREKORIAN'S STATEMENT ON AZERBAIJAN'S ASSAULT ON ARMENIA

Councilmember Paul Krekorian issued the following statement regarding Azerbaijan's assault on Armenia: This week, Azerbaijan yet again attacked its Armenian neighbors, shelling civilians and infrastructure within Armenia’s borders. Over 100 more Armenians are dead in this latest round of Azeri aggression.  And yet again, the American government has had no meaningful response, leaving Azerbaijan’s pattern of unprovoked aggression and violent land grabs unchecked.

All Americans, and everyone who cares about peace and stability in the world, must denounce Azerbaijan’s latest aggression in unambiguous terms.  I call on the President and all members of Congress to take meaningful punitive action against the Azeri regime to reign in its violent expansionism once and for all.

Two years ago, the opportunistic dictator of Azerbaijan invaded the Republic of Artsakh, and violated Armenia’s sovereign territory, in the midst of the global pandemic.  That Azeri aggression led to thousands of deaths, illegal military occupation of territory, and the capture of Armenian prisoners, some of whom Azerbaijan still holds as hostages to this day.  Azerbaijan committed countless war crimes and used internationally banned weapons, including cluster bombs and chemical weapons, against civilian targets.  In response, most of the world yawned.  

By failing utterly to respond to Azerbaijan’s past aggression, the United States and the rest of the world invited Azeri dictator Aliyev to take whatever territory he wants by whatever violent means he chooses.  The inaction of the United States has allowed one of the most tyrannical and corrupt kleptocracies in the world to endanger regional stability, to usurp democratic self-determination, to violate international law and norms, and to pursue Aliyev’s racist dream of completing the Armenian Genocide.

Azerbaijan has a long history of destroying Armenian cultural heritage, churches, cemeteries and monuments in the territory it seizes.  Azerbaijan’s clear purpose is to commit cultural genocide and erase the ancient history of the indigenous Armenian people.  It perpetrated such crimes during its 2020 invasion of Artsakh, and through its current attacks it threatens to fulfill dictator Aliyev’s openly expressed goal of invading, occupying and erasing Armenia itself. 

The United States government cannot credibly call for peace while supplying Azerbaijan with the means to make war. The United States and all other democracies should stand with Armenia in its present danger and immediately suspend all military and economic aid to Azerbaijan.  And at long last, the United States and all nations who respect democracy and self-determination must extend full diplomatic recognition to the heroic people of the Republic of Artsakh.

September 13, 2022 Protest in front of Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles

On September 13, 2022, the country of Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked and coordinated military invasion against the sovereign territory of Armenia.  Heavy artillery and large caliber weapons were used, along with attack and suicide drones, targeted at civilian infrastructure, resulting in severe damage and loss of life.  The U.S. and France have officially condemned Azerbaijan and called the invasion an “illegal” attack on Armenia’s sovereignty and democracy.

 

June

25

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2021

Armenian POWs

FREE ARMENIAN POWs The ceasefire agreement was signed on November 10th by Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The 8th point of the agreement was an all-for-all exchange of all POWs. While the Armenian side returned ALL Azerbaijani POWs in December ...

May

14

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2021

WE STILL REMEMBER

USACHR has organized a protest in front of Turkish consulate with a message, that Armenians stand with Greek brothers and sisters.  We Still Remember... 

April

30

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2021

Protest for POW's

A not so silent protest took place in front of Azerbaijani consulate.  They have not released Armenian prisoners (civilians and soldiers). We demand immediate release and safe return home.  Update:  May 3, 2021 - 19 Armenian ...

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"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

 

— Martin Luther King Jr.

 

https://www.whyarewestillhere.com

Jun

25

2021

Armenian POWs

FREE ARMENIAN POWs The ceasefire agreement was signed on November 10th by Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The 8th point of the agreement was an all-for-all exchange of all POWs. While the Armenian side returned ALL Azerbaijani POWs in December ...

May

14

2021

WE STILL REMEMBER

USACHR has organized a protest in front of Turkish consulate with a message, that Armenians stand with Greek brothers and sisters.  We Still Remember... 

Apr

30

2021

Protest for POW's

A not so silent protest took place in front of Azerbaijani consulate.  They have not released Armenian prisoners (civilians and soldiers). We demand immediate release and safe return home.  Update:  May 3, 2021 - 19 Armenian ...

Feb

27

2021

MER ZINVOR - Coming Soon

A system to ensure all our heroes get the help they need, and no soldier or their family is left behind.  A platform that directly matches and connects sponsors and Armenian soldiers in need of assistance.  No meddle men, no red tape. and ...

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