U.S. Representative Chris Smith from New Jersey will co-chair a bipartisan congressional hearing on human rights concerns in Azerbaijan. The session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, following the COP 29 UN Climate Change Conference hosted by Azerbaijan in November 2024. The hearing, co-chaired by Rep. Smith and Rep. James McGovern, will address human rights violations in Azerbaijan since the conference. It aims to investigate the government’s actions against dissenting voices and its association with corruption and transnational repression.
The situation in Azerbaijan has drawn criticism from various human rights organizations. Freedom House reports, “Power in Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime remains heavily concentrated in the hands of Ilham Aliyev, who has served as president since 2003, and his extended family. Corruption is rampant, and the formal political opposition has been weakened by years of persecution.” These assessments will guide discussions during the hearing, particularly concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh region, where ethnic Armenians have largely left following a military operation by Azerbaijan.
Witnesses providing insight and recommendations include Artak Beglaryan, former State Minister of Artsakh, Jared Genser from Perseus Strategies, LLC, Miriam Lanskoy from the National Endowment for Democracy, and Andrea Prasow from Freedom Now. The hearing will take place at 10:30 a.m. in Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
