WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A coalition of global organizations announced the launch of a campaign dedicated to ending the Azerbaijani blockade of the Armenian territory Artsakh, and ending the genocide of 120,000 Armenians who have been trapped in their own country for more than 260 days without the ability to access food, fuel, medicine and other life-saving necessities. These prominent organizations unite under the banner "120,000 Reasons" to signal to President Joseph Biden and the U.S. Congress that immediate action is needed to end this genocide, allow the delivery of life-sustaining relief and allow Armenians unencumbered access to their country. Without these actions, America could standby and allow the death and displacement of 120,000 Armenian Christians.
On Capitol Hill, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress convened a pivotal hearing to address the genocide perpetrated by Azerbaijan against the ethnic Armenians in Artsakh. The ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, which began in December 2022, has severed access by approximately 120,000 Armenian residents in Artsakh to essential goods; including food, electricity, life-saving medication and healthcare. Testifying was former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo.
“Normally people believe Genocide requires many persons dying via killings or gas chamber. There are different forms of Genocide. One requires zero victims. Genocide under article II c) requires just creating the conditions to destroy the people . . .. Blocking the Lachin Corridor with the life system for the Nagorno-Karabakh people are exactly the conditions,” stated Luis Moreno Ocampo. “Any U.S. assistance to President Aliyev and Azerbaijan to ‘enable or facilitate’ the blockade of the Lachin Corridor or other forms of genocide could be considered complicity in genocide.”
Caption: The hearing was live-streamed via the Commission website. Featuring Luis Moreno Ocampo explaining the conditions of genocide according the Genocide Convention.
On Friday, September 1st, hundreds marched in Washington in solidarity with the 120,000 ethnic Armenians in Artsakh suffering from the Azeri blockade. The march, organized by the Armenian Youth Federation, started near the Marriott Renaissance D.C. Hotel and ended in front of the White House, where multiple speakers demanded that President Joe Biden honor his commitment to speaking out against and stopping atrocities, and help prevent another genocide from occuring to the Armenian people.
Caption: Photo taken from The Armenian Youth Federation’s protest in front of the White House demanding action from President Biden.
“The ‘120,000 Reasons’ campaign stands as a formidable alliance composed of The Armenian National Committee of America, The Armenian Assembly of America and The Philos Project. These organizations stand united by a steadfast commitment to champion human rights at the forefront of foreign policy and call on President Biden to honor his commitment to impose security measures and sanctions on Azerbaijan and to put a stop to the ethnic cleansing.” Said James Tufenkian, Founder of 120,000 Reasons.
“The Philos Project is proud to stand with our coalition partners in condemning Azerbaijan’s blockade and starvation of the 120,000 Christians in Nagorno-Karabakh,” said Robert Nicholson, the President and Executive Director of the Philos Project. “We call on Christian leaders across the United States to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters and to call for the harshest possible condemnation of Azerbaijan from President Biden. The Ottoman Empire killed 1.5 million innocent Christians during the Armenian Genocide. It is our duty as Christians and Americans to ensure that Azerbaijan does not finish the job.”
“For nearly a year now, the Lachin Corridor has been illegally blocked by Azerbaijan, depriving the Armenian people of essential supplies, from medication to food and more. This man-made humanitarian crisis in Artsakh is part of a larger campaign to eradicate the Armenian people,” Bryan Ardouny, Executive Director of the Armenian Assembly of America. “As Armenian organizations throughout the U.S. unite to raise awareness with policy makers in Washington, DC, we continue to sound the alarm about the specter of another Armenian Genocide and the dire situation on the ground in Artsakh that has resulted in senseless deaths due to the Azerbaijani blockade.”
“There are today 120,000 living, breathing reasons that Americans of all faiths and backgrounds are coming together to break Azerbaijan’s genocidal, nine-month-long blockade of Artsakh’s indigenous Christian Armenians,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of Armenian National Committee of America. “The Biden-Harris Administration must be held accountable for its total failure of leadership – abandoning at-risk Christians to appease an oil-rich dictatorship.”
The coalition is on a constant growth trajectory and welcomes organizations to join as campaign partners. Organizations interested in collaborating are encouraged to reach out via email at 1200000reasons@nahigianstrategies.com or visit https://www.120000reasons.org/.
About the Armenian Assembly of America
The Armenian Assembly of America, founded in 1972, is the leading non-partisan Armenian-American advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. The Armenian Assembly has been instrumental in raising public awareness of Armenian issues, promoting greater Armenian-American engagement in the U.S. democratic process and providing humanitarian support and development programs in Armenia and Artsakh. To learn more: https://www.armenian-assembly.org/artsakhblockade.
About The Armenian National Committee of America
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest Armenian American grassroots political organization, dedicated to raising awareness for a free and independent Armenia, influencing U.S. policy on Armenian American concerns and representing the collective Armenian American viewpoint to elected officials. Learn more at anca.org/blockade.
About The Philos Project
The Philos Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting positive engagement between Christians and the Middle East. Through various initiatives, including educational programs, advocacy efforts and partnerships, the Philos Project seeks to build bridges of understanding, facilitate interfaith dialogue, and advocate for the protection of religious minorities, ultimately striving to contribute to a more peaceful and inclusive Middle East. Learn more at https://philosproject.org/savearmenia/.
Contact:
Press@120000Reasons.org
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f9bd8a40-d53e-45f5-a451-a3f88a972b5f
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7ba1cab6-4686-40e8-9856-240b10bc6717
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7ab84b40-a493-436c-b933-07cbc42ddacc
A video accompanying this announcement is available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a6907428-ef46-4691-824d-e9b4700ad3a0
