Ahead of the visit of Marco Rubio to Armenia, the Armenian Assembly of America welcomed the continued strengthening of U.S.-Armenia relations and sustained high-level engagement between the two countries, while calling for the “immediate and unconditional” release of Armenian detainees held in Baku.
The organization said it remains deeply concerned by what it described as Baku’s continued refusal to release all Christian Armenian hostages being held unlawfully.
“As President Donald Trump previously stated, ‘120,000 Christians were horrifically persecuted and forcibly displaced in Artsakh.’ President Trump also pledged to ‘protect persecuted Christians’ and, during a White House meeting on ‘Peace and Interstate Relations,’ committed to directly raising the issue of detained Christian Armenians with President Aliyev. The Assembly calls on the United States to turn these commitments into concrete, measurable actions.
As the United States and Armenia continue working together to advance the TRIPP initiative — Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity — along with memorandums of understanding across several key sectors, the Assembly reaffirms the importance of strengthening Armenia’s security infrastructure and addressing the ongoing humanitarian needs of Artsakh Armenians. This includes support for their right to return to their ancestral homeland with significant guarantees of security and democratic rights, as well as full protection of Armenian cultural heritage and religious sites,” the statement said.
The Armenian Assembly of America added that it will continue its work to promote genuine security, justice, and a future in which Armenians can live in freedom and dignity in their ancestral homeland.
A court in Baku sentenced Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison.
Former Nagorno-Karabakh president Arayik Harutyunyan was sentenced to life imprisonment. Life sentences were also handed down to former Defense Army commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, former deputy commander David Manukyan, former Foreign Minister David Babayan and parliament speaker David Ishkhanyan.
Former presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan received 20-year prison terms.
Madat Babayan and Melikset Pashayan were sentenced to 19 years, Garik Martirosyan to 18 years, David Alaverdyan and Levon Balayan to 16 years, while Erik Ghazaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan and Vasili Beglaryan received 15-year prison sentences.
