U.S. Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission to hold hearing on Safeguarding the People of Nagorno Karabakh

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress will hold a hearing on June 21 on Safeguarding the People of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“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,” the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission said in a statement. “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,” the commission added, noting that the hearing will be open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media.