WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) joined In Defense of Christians (IDC) and Save Armenia in calling on the State Department to follow U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommendations to place Azerbaijan on its Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list, along with North Korea and Pakistan.
In its annual report issued earlier today, USCIRF downgraded Azerbaijan from its Special Watch List (SWL) to the CPC designation and urged the State Department to do the same for “for engaging in syst (more...)
WASHINGTON, DC – Sixty-six U.S. Representatives called on U.S. House Appropriations Committee leaders today to allocate $200 million in U.S. assistance for Artsakh refugees, expand U.S. military aid to Armenia, suspend all military and security assistance to Azerbaijan and explore the application of sanctions on Azerbaijani war criminals, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). (more...)
-- Capitol Hill Gathering Features Bipartisan Demands to Cut U.S. Military Aid to Azerbaijan, Safely Return Armenians to Artsakh
WASHINGTON, DC – Twenty U.S. legislators – Democrats and Republicans, from the U.S. House and Senate – joined together Wednesday evening at a landmark gathering in the U.S. Capitol dedicated to justice for Artsakh (2023) and the Armenian Genocide (1915). (more...)
– Bipartisan Letter Highlights Illegal Detention of Artsakh’s Political Leadership; Calls for Sanctions and Official Determination of Ethnic Cleansing
WASHINGTON, DC – In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Gary Peters (D-MI) called on the Biden Administration to prioritize the release of Armenian prisoners of war and Artsakh’s political leadership illegally detained by Azerbaijan as a precondition for negotiations, (more...)
Will Integrate AI across ANCA’s Education and Advocacy Platforms
WASHINGTON, DC - Nerses Semerjian has been named Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for the ANCA's national headquarters in Washington, DC.
During his service as the organization's Director of Information Technology he has consistently kept the ANCA at the cutting edge as an early adopter of a broad array of innovative tools and technologies. Prior to joining the ANCA, Semerjian worked as a business solutions engineer at a Forbes 500 company.
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-- Criticizes Biden Administration’s Abandonment of Armenian American Community; Urges Swift Passage of Measures to Suspend Military Assistance to Azerbaijan
WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Raffi Hamparian called on Congressional leaders to publicly pressure the Biden Administration to take immediate action to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its genocide of Artsakh, and forcefully advocate for the safe and secure right of return for Artsakh’s Armenians. (more...)
-- Rally for Persecuted Christians will Feature Actor Jim Caviezel
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has joined forces with For the Martyrs – a globally respected organization aiding and advocating for persecuted Christians worldwide – in supporting March for the Martyrs, this April 27th, from Washington, DC’s National Mall to the Museum of the Bible. (more...)
-- Will empower communities and expand Armenian American civic engagement
WASHINGTON, DC – The ANCA warmly welcomed Gev Iskajyan as its new national grassroots director, in a public announcement during last week’s Capitol Hill advocacy days – describing his addition as a powerful contribution to the growth of Armenian American political influence and policy impact.
“We are excited to welcome Gev Iskajyan to lead our national grassroots development effort, as we embark on a bold new journey to fortify our local communities and ampl (more...)
-- Capitol Hill Event Calls for Reversing the Artsakh Genocide
WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian American community leaders and coalition partners capped two full days on Capitol Hill – featuring more than one hundred constituent-led Congressional meetings – with a Congressional rally for the safe return of Armenians to their indigenous Artsakh homeland.
The event, “Reversing Genocide: Securing the Rights and Safe Return of Artsakh’s Indigenous Armenians,” included Congressional remarks; a powerful keynote address by Dr. Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, Executive Director of (more...)
-- Cites Turkey’s Deployment of F-16’s against Artsakh as a Reason to Block Sale
WASHINGTON, DC – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Member Dr. Rand Paul (R-KY) condemned the use of Turkish F-16s in Turkey/Azerbaijan’s 2020 attacks against Armenia and Artsakh in powerful remarks today calling upon his Senate colleagues to pass a resolution (S.J.Res.60) blocking the sale of F-16s and other US weapons systems to Turkey. (more...)
-- ANCA’s Swing State Project Spotlights Pivotal Role of Armenian American Voters in 2024’s Hotly-Contested U.S. Presidential Elections
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian American community’s electoral response to President Biden’s complicity in Azerbaijan’s genocide of Artsakh’s indigenous Armenians was spotlighted this week in international news coverage of the Michigan Armenian “uncommitted” vote in the Democratic presidential primary.
Articles in POLITICO, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, BBC, and Reason Magazine showcased ANC of Michig (more...)
-- The U.S. Senate has Unanimously Adopted this Bipartisan Measure
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Michael Lawler (R-NY) joined today with a bipartisan group of Armenian Caucus colleagues in introducing a bill (H.R.7288) – previously adopted unanimously by the Senate – aimed at stopping U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, a move strongly supported by the ANCA.
Representative Lawler co-authored this legislation with Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and fellow first-term legislator Gabe Amo (D-RI). The measure’s Senate counterpart wa (more...)
-- Over 25 civil society organizations urge passage of 502B(c) resolution on Azerbaijan
Washington, DC – Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) have introduced a bipartisan resolution requesting a report on Azerbaijan’s human rights practices pursuant to Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act. The resolution requests information from the State Department on Azerbaijan’s human rights abuses both within the country, as well as during its sustained military assault against Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) that last year resulted in the ethnic cleansin (more...)
-- Congressional Briefing Focuses on Rights and Path to Safe Return of Artsakh's Genocide Survivors
WASHINGTON, DC – Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Gegham Stepanyan and former State Minister Artak Beglaryan represented the Artsakh people’s inalienable rights, national interests, and democratic aspirations at a Capitol Hill briefing featuring powerful remarks by Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA) and James Costa (D-CA), and organized by the ANCA. (more...)