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PRESS RELEASE
July 13, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: ckojoian@aaainc.org

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY CALLS CONGRESS’ ATTENTION TO DESTRUCTION OF JULFA
CEMETERY

Azerbaijan Denies Religious Freedoms to Armenian Minority

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly yesterday expressed serious
concerns over Azerbaijan’s attempts to restrict basic rights and
freedoms for minorities and called on Congress to urge Baku to
thoroughly investigate the deliberate destruction of Armenian
headstones in the medieval cemetery of Julfa in 2005.

In testimony submitted for a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee
hearing, entitled "Ideals vs. Reality in Human Rights and U.S. Foreign
Policy: The Cases of Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Egypt," the Assembly
denounced Azerbaijan’s lack of effort to develop a civil society based
on the rule of law.

"This regime has fostered an atmosphere of intolerance for free speech
and free press by regularly resorting to violence and arbitrary
judicial practices," the Assembly stated in its testimony. "It also
restricts the most basic rights and freedoms of its citizens,
including those of ethnic and religious minorities, in particular
members of the Armenian minority, who are routinely harassed and
intimidated."

The Assembly also expressed grave concern over Azerbaijan’s failure to
condemn an Azeri military officer who brutally murdered an Armenian
participant at a NATO Partnership for Peace military training exercise
in Hungary in 2003. Rather than ensure that justice is served,
Azerbaijan’s National Democratic Party has awarded the individual the
title of "Man of the Year."

With respect to the destruction of the Julfa Cemetery, the Assembly
noted that the Azeri military was captured on film destroying the
centuries-old Armenian headstones of the Julfa Cemetery in
Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan. The Assembly likened the action to the 2001
destruction of the statues of the Buddha by the Taliban in Afghanistan
and noted that Baku has rejected fact-finding missions to Julfa, and
has refused to investigate the matter itself.

Additionally, the Assembly called attention to the troubling reports
by the Azeri media that the Armenian cathedral of St. Gregory the
Illuminator in Baku may be demolished, converted to a mosque, or used
for some other purpose. The Assembly urged Congress to undertake
measures to preserve the church and ensure the protection of ethnic
and minority rights.

Turning to Azerbaijan’s military expenditures, the Assembly
highlighted that the country is one of the world’s most rapidly
militarizing regimes, having increased its spending from $141 million
to $900 million in the past three years.

"We remain concerned that the rapid military escalation by Azerbaijan
not only poses a threat to democratic development and human rights,
but also to regional stability and security," the Assembly explained.
"We therefore, urge this Subcommittee and Congress to implement policy
measures that will bring about a de-escalation of tensions in the
region, as well as foster greater respect for human rights."

Jennifer L. Windsor, executive director of Freedom House, testified at
yesterday’s hearing and stated that: "The [Azeri] regime has been able
to effectively utilize its enormous petrol wealth to further
consolidate its control over society."

In her prepared testimony Windsor described Azerbaijan as "a
hydrocarbon-dependent quasi-dynasty," and noted that "Azerbaijan’s
sorry record on democracy and human rights…are well documented in
the State Department’s annual human rights reports."

The hearing, which was presided over by Subcommittee Chair Rep. Bill
Delahunt (D-MA), also included testimony from Morton H. Halperin,
Ph.D, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Frank
Calzón, executive director for The Center for a Free Cuba.

The Assembly’s testimony yesterday marked the fifth of this year
before Congress. The Assembly testimonies have focused on a broad
range of issues, including Genocide and the Rule of Law, U.S. Policy
in the South Caucasus and appropriations funding, the Darfur
Accountability Act, the State Department Human Rights Report, as well
as human rights in Azerbaijan.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

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NR#2007-082

Editor’ s Note: Below is the full text of Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny’s testimony, which was submitted to the subcommittee on July
12, 2007.

Testimony by Bryan Ardouny
Executive Director, Armenian Assembly of America

Before the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights,
and Oversight
Committee on Foreign Affairs
U.S. House of Representatives

July 12, 2007

Chairman Delahunt,
Ranking Member Rohrabacher,
Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee,

The Armenian Assembly of America commends the Subcommittee for its
decision to hold a hearing on U.S. policy toward select regimes
violating human rights, including Azerbaijan.

As part of the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan has benefited from the
region’s growing importance to U.S. national interests. At the same
time, Azerbaijan has come under serious criticism by governments and
NGOs alike for its human rights practices, and its lack of effort
toward developing a civil society based on the rule of law. According
to the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index,
Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking
130th out of 163.

In addition, Azerbaijan has never held a democratic election, as
documented recently by the Freedom House country report on Azerbaijan,
and has in fact transitioned towards a hereditary autocracy. This
regime has fostered an atmosphere of intolerance for free speech and
free press by regularly resorting to violence and arbitrary judicial
practices. It also restricts the most basic rights and freedoms of
its citizens, including those of ethnic and religious minorities, in
particular members of the Armenian minority, who are routinely
harassed and intimidated. In a continuing assault against independent
media, a number of journalists and editors have been arrested, beaten
and tortured in 2006, for criticizing the government. One of these
cases has resulted in a fatality.

The Azerbaijani government has also consistently failed to condemn
Ramil Safarov, an Azeri military officer who in 2003 brutally murdered
an Armenian participant at a NATO Partnership for Peace military
training exercise in Budapest, Hungary. Instead, it has encouraged
domestic media and various organizations to treat the murderer as a
celebrity. That individual has since been awarded the title of "Man of
the Year" by Azerbaijan’s National-Democratic Party.

The arbitrariness and defiance with which the Azerbaijani regime has
treated its citizens for years has only intensified with the regime’s
access to a new source of wealth – oil revenues. The commissioning of
the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline and its associated infrastructure has enabled
Azerbaijan to experience an unusual influx of wealth generated by oil
and gas production and exports. That wealth, however, has not
translated into meaningful benefits for ordinary citizens. Rather than
address the country’s economic and human development needs, including
critical gaps in healthcare, education and the social sector, enormous
resources have been directed toward the procurement of equipment and
other hardware for the military and security services, resulting in a
dramatic increase in restrictions on political and civil liberties,
and a surge in war rhetoric against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

In just the past three years, Azerbaijan has become one of the world’s
most rapidly militarizing regimes, having increased its military
expenditures between 2004 and 2007 by an unprecedented 638 percent
from $141 million to $900 million (6.31 percent of its GDP in 2006).
During this same period, the Azerbaijani military was captured on film
destroying Armenian headstones of the Old Jugha (Julfa) Cemetery – a
medieval architectural ensemble of rare cultural and historic
value. This action, which took place in Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan, and
is reminiscent of the destruction of the statues of the Buddha in
Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2001, was the latest in a series of
outbreaks of vandalism at the cemetery, with earlier incidents
recorded in 2002 and 1999. To date, Azerbaijan has denied requests by
European and international inter-governmental organizations and NGOs
to conduct a fact-finding mission to Julfa, and has also refused to
investigate this incident itself.

The destruction of the Julfa Cemetery also raises serious concerns
regarding other remaining historical monuments, including the Armenian
cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in the center of Baku. To
date, the Azerbaijani media is awash with proposals to demolish the
cathedral, convert it to a mosque, or use it for some other
non-religious purpose. In the meantime, according to eyewitness
accounts published in the media, "tourists arriving in Baku take
pictures of the burnt walls of the Armenian Church and the garbage
near them."

Respect for human rights and freedom of expression are fundamental
values. As a leader on the world stage, the United States can and
must do more to ensure that respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms are upheld. We therefore urge this Subcommittee to press the
Azerbaijani government to ensure that a thorough investigation into
the destruction of the Julfa site takes place. We also remain
concerned that the rapid military escalation by Azerbaijan not only
poses a threat to democratic development and human rights, but also to
regional stability and security. We therefore, urge this Subcommittee
and Congress to implement policy measures that will bring about a
de-escalation of tensions in the region, as well as foster greater
respect for human rights. Finally, we urge this Subcommittee to
undertake measures to ensure the protection of ethnic and minority
rights, and in particular the preservation of the Armenian cathedral
of St. Gregory the Illuminator.