Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission: "Azerbaijan Pursues ‘Elimination of the Entire Christian Population and Its Churches’ in Nagorno-Karabakh"
As the humanitarian situation of Armenian Christians behind Azerbaijan's blockade in Nagoro-Karabakh becomes critical, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the US Congress conducted a hearing on 6 September to explore the situation. Experts heard by the commission pointed out that Azerbaijan’s actions clearly constituted a genocide, as it is using starvation as a form of ethnic cleansing. Georgetown University adjunct professor David L. Philips argued that the final intention of Azerbaijan is the “elimination of the entire Christian population and its churches.”
Nine months into the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan on the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Human Rights Commission held a hearing on 6 September to explore the situation. Among the invited witnesses several experts warned that the actions carried out by Azerbaijan are a form of ethnic cleansing and something must be done to stop this ongoing genocide.
Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), gave testimony before the commission. In August, he issued a report titled "Starvation as a Means of Genocide" where he explains how depriving a whole population of food, gas, electricity, and medicine to create the conditions that will make them die or leave is a form of genocide.
Georgetown University adjunct professor David L. Philips also spoke on the commission, pointing to Azerbaijan's dictator Ilham Aliyev as the principal promoter of the ethnic cleansing being carried out. "The language used by President Aliev and his officials leaves no question of their genocidal intentions," he said. Philips concluded that Aliev’s goal was the "elimination of the entire Christian population and its churches."
More witnesses who spoke before the commission came to similar conclusions. As for the international community's failure to act, they stressed that this attitude has to radically change in order to avoid a new genocide like that of 1915, making them complicit.
Source: Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
Photo from the 2020 war: greekcitytimes.com