August 26, 2021
Full Enforcement of Section 907, Return of Armenian Pows
LOS ANGELES—DSCC Members and LACDP Elected Members Elen Asatryan and Dr. Suzie Abajian have authored and introduced a resolution (CDP Resolution 21-08.014) to the California Democratic Party calling on the United States Government to end US aid to Azerbaijan by fully enforcing Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. The resolution also urges the Biden Administration and the Secretary of State to engage with Azerbaijani authorities for the immediate return of Armenian POWs and hostages. The resolution will be placed to a vote during the Executive Board Meeting of the California Democratic Party scheduled for August 25-29, 2021.
“It’s imperative that we send a strong message to Baku that the United States stands against the dictatorial regime’s continued war crimes and unprovoked attacks on Artsakh and Armenia. Azerbaijan has yet to be held accountable for the inappropriate allocation of millions of our American tax dollars towards war crimes committed against Artsakh and Armenia, including the shelling of hospitals, schools, killing dozens of innocent civilians using cluster bombs, recruiting thousands of ISIS mercenaries and causing irreversible environmental damage by burning forests in the region using white phosphorus. Waiving or weakening Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act not only provides additional funding from our tax dollars towards the war crimes Azerbaijan perpetuates to date, but is also contradictory to our party principles and policies. We are hopeful and confident that our colleagues will rise in favor of this pressing resolution,“ stated Asatryan.
“The Azerbaijani government continues its acts of aggression towards Armenia and Artsakh regardless of the calls from the international community for peace in the region and Armenia’s continued willingness for cooperation. By waiving section 907, our government is complicit in the continued violation of international law and the torture and suffereing of Armenian POWs at the hands of the Azerbajani government. Our tax dollars must not be used to enable and embolden the Azerbajani government to continue its unlawful acts contributing to the loss of life, indeginous lands and the destabilization of the region. We are proud to introduce this pressing resolution which sends a clear message from the largest Democratic state body in the United States to our federal government,” emphasized Abajian,
The timely resolution comes as Azerbaijan continues to violate the peace agreement of November 9, 2020 by now attacking not only Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), but also Armenian proper, as approximately 200 Armenian POWS and civilian hostages remain in captivity, and as aggressive rhetoric and threats continue to rise out of Baku. The United States has called on the parties to resume the Minsk Group peace process, which Armenia supports but Azerbaijan continues to derail.
Resolution sponsors include Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Organization; Elen Asatryan (AD 43), Suzie Abajian (AD 41), Christine Shimizu (AD 45), John Harabedian (AD 41), Marco Flores (AD 53), Shanna Ingalsbee (AD 43), Cindy Montoya (AD 41), Jason Small, (AD 45), Angelica Duenas (AD 39), Vanuhi Vartanian (AD 43), Carolyn “Jiyoung” Park (AD 53), Karen Suarez (AD 41), Bonnie Shatun (AD 46), Adele Andrade-Stadler (AD 49), Mary Ann Lutz (AD 41), Paul Cole Padilla (AD 49), Kathleen Patterson (AD 42), Linda Perez (AD 43), Michael F. Duran (AD 41), Melissa Taylor (AD 41), Dwight Young (AD 36), Tina Fredericks (AD 41), Mitchell Tsai (AD 41), Steven Fisher (AD 43), Melissa Michelson (AD 49), Rebecca Wolfersberger (AD 45).
The California Democratic Party, at its 2021 state convention, passed a resolution authored by Asatryan, as part of its 13 priority resolutions calling for immediate US intervention for the safe return of Armenian POWS, and placement of sanctions on and divestment of all public funds from Turkey and Azerbaijan until Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide, and until the people of Artsakh are afforded the opportunity of self-determination on their indigenous lands.
California is home to over one million Armenian Americans, a large majority of whom are directly impacted by the current threats and are descendants of Armenian genocide survivors, who have been tirelessly advocating for global assistance and intervention as they witnessed the unimaginable sufferings of their family members overseas, inflicted by Turkey and Azerbaijan. The California Democratic party is the dominant political party in the state. Representing over 10.3 million democrats, it is also the largest democratic entity in the United States.