A bipartisan resolution was presented in the US Congress calling on Azerbaijan to immediately release Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Baku. This is reported by the American Armenian Dat office.

Should we build expectations around this resolution and in which case is the return of Armenian prisoners possible? 168․am–addressed these questions Siranush Sahakyan, representative and lawyer of Armenian prisoners at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).in։

First, he noted that although we are dealing with discussions in the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives, it has not yet passed the necessary stages of becoming a law and it is still unclear what will happen.

“I should note that during the previous discussions, these initiatives did not reach their logical end, that is, they did not become a law, with the difference of a few votes. On the other hand, I would like to note that in order to become a law, the threshold must first be overcome, it must be discussed in the plenary session, and the House of Representatives must discuss it, after which a discussion and vote must take place in the Senate.

We do not rule out revising the wording here either, and most importantly, after acceptance, it must be signed by the president, and only after passing those thresholds can it become a law.

In my opinion, this is mostly a political position, and not an initiative aimed at establishing legally binding behavior for the authorities of Azerbaijan. It is also not a punitive step, because the draft does not contain a procedure for providing sanctions in case of non-compliance, and in many cases in America it is combined with threats of sanctions, and here, for example, it is defined a limitation of some aid, sanctions against officials, obligation to submit regular reports, etc.

Along with this, the issue is important because the agenda is being set at the Congress level. This is a message that the issue of prisoners is not only a closed negotiation topic between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it is an issue subject to international political pressure,” explained the human rights defender.

He also emphasized bipartisan support, noting that overcoming vote thresholds in single-party initiatives is quite difficult. in this case, the situation is already encouraging.

“And if it does not directly lead to the release of prisoners, for example, it is accepted, but Azerbaijan evades its implementation, it still remains as a diplomatic lever, and US officials can always refer to the position of the Congress in meetings with Azerbaijan and emphasize the implementation of the provisions of those resolutions in bilateral relations, as well as the adoption by America.

I think this may pave the way for the adoption of similar bills in other countries pursuing policies compatible with the American policy, for example, it may be Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, etc., which seem to adopt common foreign policy courses,” added the representative of the Armenian prisoners.

Speaking in general about the possibility of the return of prisoners in the context of Trump’s policy adopted in our region, if this issue was not included in the so-called Peace Agreement, Siranush Sahakyan elaborated: “I think two parallel processes are going on. Although this clause is missing in the peace agreement, the American administration also reaffirms its involvement in the solution of the problem in this way, which will increase the credibility of the peace process.

If this element is ignored, which is ignored in the formal text, I think that the promise of peace will be difficult to implement, viable. It will mostly remain at the level of a wish, a dream, but in the context of the coexistence of peoples, the results of peace will not be tangible. That’s why I see that it seems like a parallel policy is being conducted.”

By the way, it is noted that the resolution was presented in the US Congress by Brad Sherman (Democrat, California), the vice-chairman of the Armenian Affairs Committee of the Congress, and was discussed in the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives. and now it is expected to be voted on in the committee.

The resolution states that Azerbaijan should immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian prisoners of war and political prisoners.

“Given the documented executions of Armenian POWs by Azerbaijani forces, including several executions that have been recorded and shared on social media, as documented by Human Rights Watch, it is vitally important that the United States unequivocally advocates for the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian POWs,” Brad Sherman said during the committee hearing.

It is reported that Representative Sherman also described the release of hostages as a direct part of US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts in the South Caucasus.

“As President Trump continues his efforts to ensure lasting peace in the South Caucasus, the release of Armenian prisoners of war and political prisoners will be a significant step towards this achievement,” he noted.

Azerbaijan continues to illegally hold 19 Armenian prisoners, including representatives of the former military and political leadership of Karabakh. Imprisonment sentences were passed against them on false charges.

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