News - Adam Schiff: USA must immediately implement sanctions to hold the Azerbaijani aggressors accountable

The United States must immediately implement sanctions to hold the Azerbaijani aggressors accountable and halt any and all U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan. Congressman Adam Schiff wrote about this in his X account (former Twitter). “I have warned for months that Azerbaijan was openly implementing a genocidal campaign against the innocent civilians of Artsakh. Today, Azerbaijan proved itself once again to be a ruthless aggressor, launching unprovoked attacks in Artsakh that have destroyed a school, killed at least one child and 24 adults, and injured more than 100 others. We must halt ethnic cleansing and stop a second Armenian Genocide. I call on the Biden Administration to take immediate action: First, President Biden should personally call Aliyev at once and demand he stop all military action against Artsakh. Second, we must Immediately implement U.S. sanctions to hold the Azerbaijani aggressors accountable, including using tools such as Global Magnitsky and 7031c sanctions. Third, we must immediately halt any and all U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan. Finally, demand the immediate deployment of independent monitors on the ground in Artsakh,” he wrote. As previously reported by NEWS.am, Azerbaijan's Armed Forces initiated artillery fire along the entire line of contact in Nagorno Karabakh on September 19, starting at 1 p.m., in an attempt to breach the defense line of the Nagorno Karabakh Defense Forces. Presently, Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno Karabakh, and other settlements are enduring heavy shelling. Gegham Stepanyan, the Human Rights Defender of Nagorno Karabakh, has documented multiple casualties and injuries among civilians, including children. As of September 20, fighting continues along the contact line of Nagorno Karabakh with varying degrees of intensity. Units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are employing various weapons not only to maintain their positional advance but also to target civilian infrastructure. As of 03:00, September 20, according to the information received by the Office of the Human Rights Defender, the number of civilian casualties in Artsakh as a result of Azerbaijani aggression has reached 7, including 3 women, 2 children, and 2 men. There are also 35 injured persons among the civilian population: 13 children, 15 women and 7 men.