ANCA welcomes bipartisan House Foreign Affairs Committee action demanding Azerbaijan release Armenian hostages

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomed bipartisan House Foreign Affairs Committee action advancing an amendment to the House Foreign Service Act (H.R. 9086) that calls on Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian prisoners of war and political prisoners. The amendment, led by Congressional Armenian Caucus Vice-Chair Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), cleared the committee markup with the support of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL) and is now expected to proceed to a full committee roll call vote.

“Azerbaijan’s illegal detention of Armenian hostages for nearly 1000 days is a human rights crisis that demands strong Congressional action,” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We welcome Chairman Mast’s support for the Sherman amendment and the committee’s strong bipartisan stand that these hostages must be freed — immediately and unconditionally.”

The amendment, as adopted, declares it is the sense of Congress that Azerbaijan should immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian prisoners of war and political prisoners. Rep. Sherman urged the committee to act, citing documented abuses in Azerbaijani captivity and verified battlefield executions of Armenian POWs — including several captured on video and reviewed by Human Rights Watch. “Given documented executions of Armenian POWs by Azerbaijani forces, including several executions which were horrifically recorded and distributed on social media, as documented by Human Rights Watch, it is vital that the United States clearly advocate for the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian POWs,” Sherman told the committee.

Rep. Sherman also framed the release of hostages as directly aligned with President Trump’s South Caucasus peace efforts. “As President Trump continues his efforts to secure lasting peace in the South Caucasus, securing the release of Armenian POWs and political prisoners would be a significant step toward this achievement,” he said.

The amendment originally directed the United States to employ all diplomatic, economic, and legal tools — including full enforcement of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act — to secure the release of Armenian hostages. Chairman Mast expressed support for the prisoner release language but opposed the Section 907 enforcement provision, prompting Sherman to modify the amendment by unanimous consent to strike that paragraph and secure Mast’s backing. “I would love to work with you further on this amendment and possibly dividing it up and working on this in additional ways,” Mast told Sherman during the markup. Sherman agreed to the modification, and Mast thereafter offered his support. “Representative Sherman, I offer my support for this amendment,” Mast stated. “Thank you for working with me so immediately to adjust the text of the amendment.”

The ANCA reaffirmed its commitment to Congress holding Azerbaijan accountable, including through enforcement of Section 907 and the cessation of U.S. arms and military aid to Azerbaijan.

“Congress must go further,” said Hamparian. “Calls for the release of hostages must be matched with concrete accountability measures – starting with sanction and strict enforcement of Section 907.”

The amendment will next come before the full House Foreign Affairs Committee for a recorded roll call vote, after which, if adopted, the measure will advance to the full House. Sherman cited growing international momentum behind the measure, including a European Parliament resolution adopted in April condemning Azerbaijan’s detention of Armenian prisoners of war. “This amendment reflects growing international consensus on releasing Armenian POWs,” Rep. Sherman said.

Armenian Americans are encouraged to contact their Representatives and urge support for the Sherman amendment and full enforcement of Section 907.