Adam Schiff, a US House of Representatives member, appealed to President John Biden, calling on him to take necessary measures to prevent the genocide against the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.

We present Schiff's letter.

"Dear President Biden

In my letter addressed to you on June 8, I expressed my deep concern over Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to the outside world, but since then, the crisis has significantly worsened and requires your personal and immediate attention.

The people of Artsakh, living under the conditions of the illegal blockade implemented by Azerbaijan since December 2022, continue to face its destructive consequences. One hundred twenty thousand people are deprived of access to food, water, medicine, medical services, gas, and electricity. Previously, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) could provide limited food and medicine supplies and facilitate people's transport in medical emergencies. Still, weeks ago, Azerbaijan closed even the ICRC's access. As noted in the ICRC statement, "Tens of thousands of people rely on humanitarian aid to reach them through this route, but due to the blockade of the road to life, the population is completely isolated, and the number of civilian casualties is increasing rapidly." There is no doubt that there is now an "acute humanitarian crisis," as declared by a panel of UN experts.

The Artsakh population, especially the most sensitive groups: pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, need urgent help. Life-saving medicines and baby food have almost run out. Artsakh health authorities have reported increased morbidity and mortality rates due to malnutrition, a lack of medication, and emergency medical services/transportation. For example, the rate of anemia among pregnant women has reached nearly 90 percent, and the number of cases of fainting due to malnutrition has increased markedly. It is sad that, according to Aliyev's deliberate and strategic plan, the innocent civilian population is suffering from malnutrition and facing imminent starvation. At this very moment, due to the blockade of Azerbaijan, the convoy of trucks carrying 400 tons of humanitarian aid is being prevented from entering Artsakh. These actions clearly violate international law and the 2020 Tripartite Declaration. In the August 7 statement of UN experts calling on Azerbaijan to "fulfill its international obligations, respect and protect human rights, including the right to food, health, education, and life," I joined their call.

Although the US government, the EU, UN experts, and Russia have condemned the blockade and called for the corridor to be opened to regular traffic, Azerbaijan has ignored such announcements for months. The US State Department and USAID have tried to diplomatic resolve Aliyev's blockade of the Lachin Corridor, but the time for statements and such appeals is long past. The United States must take decisive action and immediately use other tools to force Azerbaijan to act according to international law and order. Therefore, please take the following steps:

• It is taking advantage of the fact that the United States convened an extraordinary UN Security Council (SC) session on the Artsakh crisis. This situation is in line with our country's intention to focus this session on the fight against food insecurity and the protection of human rights; it is also an urgent issue that requires the attention of the UN Security Council. In a statement on August 2, UN Secretary-General Guterres expressed deep concern about the ongoing blockade and the deteriorating situation and issued a joint call for concrete action with UN special rapporteurs. It is time for the UNSC to get involved in the process. I agree with the statement made in the application of the Government of Armenia on August 12, which states that "the UN Security Council, as the main body responsible for the prevention of genocide," should convene a meeting on this crisis as soon as possible.

 

• To instruct the US mission to the UN to spearhead a UN Security Council resolution that will call on Azerbaijan to immediately comply with the International Court's rulings, by which it is planned to send a group of UN experts to Artsakh to collect information on the human rights and humanitarian situation and prepare an independent report. as well as impose sanctions on Azerbaijan for gross violations of international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

 

• Assign USAID and Defense to the Ministry to assess the options for providing support from the United States in the delivery of aid to Artsakh by ground or air transportation to prevent the real threat of starvation and the preventable deaths of innocent civilians.

Call Aliyev personally and urge him to lift the blockade. Warn him that there will be consequences if the blockade continues, including the imposition of sanctions, visa restrictions, and the suspension of US foreign aid. Many of us in Congress believe Azerbaijan should have been cut off from American assistance long ago.

I am ready to support your administration's efforts to resolve this crisis, including a meeting between your administration and national Armenian community stakeholders who can provide first-hand information about the dire situation in Artsakh.

This inhumane and malicious campaign to destroy the people is very familiar to Armenians, whose ancestors suffered the horror of the Armenian Genocide 108 years ago. In the expert opinion published on August 7, former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and international legal expert Luis Moreno Ocampo states that "there is a reasonable basis to assume that in 2023 a genocide is being committed against the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh." "The blockade of the Lachin Corridor by the Azerbaijani security forces, which prevents access to any food, medical supplies, or other necessities, should be considered genocide under Article II, Clause (c) of the Genocide Convention; "deliberately creating bad conditions for life is equal to physical destruction." There are no crematoria or machete attacks. Hunger is the invisible weapon of genocide. Without immediate and drastic changes, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks."

We promised "never again," Mr. President, but today the people of Artsakh, in the hands of the autocratic Azeri regime, face the real danger of ethnic cleansing and genocide. On April 24, 2023, when Armenians were commemorating the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, you announced: "Here and all over the world, the Armenian people are full of hope to face the evil of hatred. They rebuilt their communities, raised their families, and preserved their culture. They made our nation strong. They also told their stories and those of their ancestors to remember and ensure that the genocide that occurred 108 years ago would never happen again. Let us reaffirm this promise today. Let's recommit ourselves to speaking out against hate, protecting human rights, and preventing atrocities. Mr. President, you have been on the right side of history, speaking the truth to the government, and now it is time to keep this promise and stand by the people of Artsakh and stop another Armenian Genocide.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I am ready to work with your administration to support Artsakh's people," the letter says.