California legislators urge Trump to free Armenian prisoners and end Azerbaijan’s impunity

The Armenian National Committee of America Western Region (ANCA-WR) has welcomed a bipartisan letter signed by more than 25 members of the California State Legislature and sent to President Donald J. Trump through the California Armenian Legislative Caucus Foundation. The letter calls for the release of Armenian prisoners illegally held in Baku, the right of Artsakh refugees to return, an end to Azerbaijan’s occupation of sovereign Armenian territories, and recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Trump administration.

“California legislators have sent President Trump a clear message: Armenian prisoners must be freed, Azerbaijan’s occupation must end, and Armenia’s sovereignty must be secured,” said Oshin Harootoounian, ANCA-WR Board Chair. “This bipartisan letter reflects the moral resolve of California’s more than one million Armenian Americans – the largest Armenian community in the country. President Trump must act.”

The letter was initiated by John Harabedian, chair of the California Armenian Legislative Caucus. He was joined by State Senators Bob Archuleta, Megan Dahle, María Elena Durazo, Sasha Renée Pérez, and Suzette Martínez Valladares, as well as Assembly Members Patrick Ahrens, Juan Alanis, Marc Berman, Lisa Calderon, Jessica Caloza, Damon Connolly, Robert Garcia, Jeff Gonzalez, Heather Hadwick, Maggy Krell, Diane Papan, Celeste Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Chris Rogers, Pilar Schiavo, Nick Schultz, José Luis Solache Jr., Catherine Stefani, David Tangipa, and Rick Chavez Zbur.

“California is home to the largest Armenian community in the United States and one of the largest in the world, and we are united in demanding justice, accountability, and lasting peace for the Armenian people. This letter reflects our ongoing effort to ensure that the voices of Armenian Americans are heard at the highest levels of power. We call for decisive federal action to protect human rights and advance regional stability,” said John Harabedian, chair of the California Armenian Legislative Caucus.

The letter was sent ahead of the California Legislature’s commemoration of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, just days before April 24 – the International Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide Victims, underscoring the community’s call on President Trump to properly acknowledge this crime.

The letter also raises the issue of the deliberate destruction of Artsakh’s Armenian Christian heritage, noting that Azerbaijan’s war crimes include “targeted strikes against churches and other sites of Armenian Christian heritage” as part of a coordinated policy to erase all traces of Armenian civilization in the region.

Release of Armenian POWs, political prisoners, and hostages

The letter calls for the full and unconditional release of all Armenian prisoners illegally held by Azerbaijan, stating that “Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian civilians, soldiers, and former leaders of Artsakh in captivity… Among those detained are prisoners of war, civilians, and former Nagorno-Karabakh officials: presidents, state ministers, and the speaker of parliament,  held on fabricated charges, subjected to unjust proceedings and inhumane treatment in violation of international human rights law.”

Withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from sovereign Armenian territory

The letter also addresses Azerbaijan’s continued military presence on sovereign Armenian territory, noting “a broader pattern of aggression that persisted following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war,” during which “Azerbaijan committed grave war crimes, including the killing of civilians, the destruction of schools, homes, and hospitals, targeted attacks on churches and other Armenian Christian heritage sites, and the arbitrary detention and mistreatment of Armenian prisoners of war.”

The right of return for Artsakh Armenians

The letter also addresses the plight of more than 100,000 indigenous Armenians of Artsakh who were displaced as a result of Azerbaijan’s genocidal ethnic cleansing, emphasizing that under international law they must be able to “safely return to their homes and rebuild their lives in peace.”

Preservation of Armenian cultural and religious heritage

The letter raises the issue of the deliberate destruction of Artsakh’s Armenian Christian heritage, noting that Azerbaijan’s war crimes include “targeted strikes against churches and other sites of Armenian Christian heritage” as part of a coordinated policy to erase all traces of Armenian civilization in the region.

Armenia’s sovereignty and security

The letter affirms that Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia is a direct challenge to the international order, stressing that “the protection of human rights and the dignity of all people is a cornerstone of American values and a pillar of the international order,” and calls on President Trump to uphold the sovereignty and security of Armenia, the world’s first Christian state and a key regional ally.

The letter also calls on President Trump to reaffirm recognition of the Armenian Genocide, noting that the term “genocide” is the appropriate description of the massacres and displacing of Armenians, and urging him to join Congress in using that term to advance historical justice.

Additionally, ANCA-WR formally calls on the U.S. government to use all available diplomatic leverage to press Turkey toward reckoning with justice on the Armenian Genocide.

111 years after the Armenian Genocide, the systematic destruction of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish government, Turkey’s obligation as the successor state remains undeniable yet unfulfilled. That obligation includes the return of confiscated lands, property, and assets; financial reparations to the heirs of survivors; and accountability through international legal mechanisms. The United States, having recognized the Armenian Genocide, must translate that recognition into concrete action by making clear to Ankara that normalized relations and continued partnership carry with them historical responsibility. ANCA-WR will continue to press this demand at every level of government until justice for 1915 is no longer deferred.