Sherman, Cox and Colleagues Call for the Implementation of Magnitsky Sanctions Against Azeri Officials

Washington, D.C. – Today Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), Congressman T.J. Cox (D-CA), Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA) and Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA) called on the Trump administration to impose significant, tangible consequences on those responsible for Azerbaijan’s continuous campaign of aggression against the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

“Four weeks on, and the Azeri offensive against Artsakh, continues. International human rights organizations have confirmed Azerbaijan’s use of cluster munitions against civilians, in clear violation of international law,” said Congressman Brad Sherman. “Azeri officials must be held responsible for their part in the ongoing human rights abuses taking place in Artsakh. The implementation of sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act will send a firm response from the United States that this offensive, and specifically the targeting of civilians, is unacceptable. We cannot risk the fighting in the region devolving into a full-blown proxy war involving Turkey and Russia. Azeri officials must be held to account.”

Congressman Sherman, Congressman Cox and their colleagues argued in their letter to the Trump administration that Azerbaijan’s ongoing actions threaten strategic American priorities in the South Caucasus and the stability of international political systems in the region. Without a firm response from the United States, the continued escalation of violence runs the risk of devolving into a much larger conflict that will threaten the lives not only of Artsakhians, but innocent civilians living throughout the Caucasus.

To read the full letter, click here.

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