NEW HAMPSHIRE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DROPS PRO-AZERBAIJANI MEASURE
10:29, 12 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan
The pro-Azerbaijan lobby suffered yet another political setback today,
as the New Hampshire House of Representatives blocked passage of HR 6,
a deeply flawed measure that sought to undermine Nagorno Karabakh's
freedom and cover-up ongoing anti-Armenian aggression by President
Ilham Aliyev's dictatorial regime, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America - Eastern Region (ANCA-ER).
"The New Hampshire House of Representatives lived up to its
'Live Free or Die' motto today, refusing to succumb to President
Aliyev's international campaign to subvert Artsakh's right to
self-determination," stated ANCA-ER Board Chairman Stephen Mesrobian.
"We are pleased that New Hampshire joins Colorado, Mississippi,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Hawaii, and Wyoming in refusing to aid and
abet Azerbaijan's thuggish regime."
The ANCA-ER worked closely with the ANC of Merrimack Valley and the
New Hampshire Armenian community to educate legislators about the
dangers of this flawed resolution. Local activists, with the support
of Armenian Americans across the U.S., called and emailed legislators,
pointing out Azerbaijan's increasing aggression against Armenia and
Artsakh and recent anti-US actions, including President Aliyev's
crackdown on the U.S. funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and
pro-democracy civil society groups. The Aliyev regime's repression
of free speech has been widely covered in the Wall Street Journal,
The New York Times and broadly condemned by human rights groups.
"The democratic principles and values of the Granite State prevailed
today. We appreciate that our elected representatives heard our
concerns loud and clear," stated ANC Merrimack Valley Co-Chair
Ara Jeknavorian. "We are grateful to all our local activists who
immediately took action, enabling us to collectively stop this
measure. The mobilization capacity of our community is inspirational,
and a testament to our commitment to justice and freedom."
Just two days prior to the vote, the ANC Merrimack Valley penned
a powerful open letter, published in The Armenian Weekly, urging
legislators to tread with caution when considering the pro-Aliyev
measure. "It is truly a tribute to New Hampshire's democratic tradition
that even a regime as flagrantly corrupt as Aliyev's is allowed to
operate freely within our open society," the letter read.
"But that does not mean that the citizens of our state need to remain
silent in the face of meddling by foreign leaders who neither respect
our rights nor share our values - especially when they try to export
their intolerance to our shores."
Concerns about the HR 6 became clear early in the Committee
consideration process, when the Legislative Affairs Committee voted 8-0
to urge the House to kill the measure. When efforts were discovered
to undermine that recommendation, New Hampshire Representative Gary
Azarian reached out to fellow legislators, describing Azerbaijan's
historic massacres against Armenians in 1918 and again during the
Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad pogroms from 1988 - 1990. The measure was
then pulled from the calendar and later blocked by an overwhelming
majority.
"It is unfortunate that the Azeri regime keeps trying to mislead
legislatures across the United States via manipulation, misinformation
and instigation of hatred towards Armenians," said Robert Avetisyan,
Permanent Representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic to the U.S.
"We constantly see Baku's efforts to rewrite history and avoid
responsibility for its aggression against Artsakh, as well as for
crimes against its own population. We are grateful to the ANCA ER team
and all New Hampshire Armenians for prompt and coordinated efforts
to inform members of the NH State legislature of the historical facts".
The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Eastern United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Eastern United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-ER advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.
http://www.armradio....aijani-measure/
