March: 11, 2026
“According to their families, Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan are not allowed to receive religious materials, in particular, Bibles,” the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said.) in 2026 in the annual report:
The Azerbaijan section of the report states that in February, a USCIRF delegation traveled to Azerbaijan to assess religious freedom conditions and meet with government officials. “Although the Azerbaijani government has expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue with USCIRF, since then it has not made significant progress in implementing the organization’s recommendations,” the report states.
The document also referred to the fate of the Armenian historical and cultural and Christian monuments of Artsakh. “Historical Armenian religious monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas remain at risk following Azerbaijan’s control of these areas in 2020 and 2023. As of July, analysis of satellite imagery has identified eight destroyed and another ten damaged religious sites, including churches, cemeteries and other cultural assets.”
Also presented is the special opinion of Vicky Hartzler, the chairman of the commission, regarding Azerbaijan, according to which Azerbaijan should be moved from the list of “Countries of Special Observation” to the “Countries of Special Concern”, which is in a worse position from the point of view of religious freedom, because the country continuously, openly and grossly violates religious freedom.
“The country outwardly declares that it supports religious freedom, but internally it does the opposite. It tortures its citizens, controls religious activities, expels independent media and the Red Cross, and destroys religious heritage sites.
About two dozen Armenian Christian prisoners from Nagorno-Karabakh, who were tried behind closed doors without sufficient legal aid, were subjected to beatings, psychological abuse, lack of access to medical care and proper food, were deprived of their Bibles, and their cross tattoos were erased by burning. The police are not held accountable for these actions.”
He also notes that if Azerbaijan wants to be a full partner of the United States and promote common economic and strategic goals, it must take real steps to truly accept religious freedom.
—
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Nahapetian Samvel. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2026/03/12/in-azerbaijan-armenian-prisoners-are-not-allowed-to-receive-bibles-uscirf/