A Judge, Prosecutor and Army Chief: New Names In Congressional "Azerbaijan Sanctions" List

A group of bipartisan lawmakers led by Dina Titus, a Nevada Democrat, last week introduced the House version of a bill that would enable sanctions against senior Azerbaijani officials for their role in the Karabakh war, and human rights violations, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

The draft bill (H.R.8141), the first of its kind, has been gaining momentum among Congress members and is currently co-sponsored by 27 Representatives. The latest supporters include Congressmen Dan Goldman [D-NY], Michelle Steel [R-CA] and Mike Quigley [D-IL], who have formally joined the marathon yesterday.

As TURAN reported earlier, the final version of the Act contains the list of 44 Azerbaijani officials — three additional to the previously published list — which includes the below new names:

— Karim Valiyev, Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

— Nemat Avazov, Director of the Investigation Department, Office of the Prosecutor General.

— Tagiyev Azer Heydar oglu, Nasimi District19 Court Judge

Upon introduction last week, the bill was referred to the Congressional Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees, but no further action has been taken to date.

If passed, it requires the Biden Administration to conduct a review of Azerbaijani officials to determine whether they are subject to Magnitsky sanctions following last year's war and the violent repression of political opposition in Azerbaijan.

U.S. Congress To Introduce First-Ever Sanctions Bill Targeting Azerbaijani Officials Over Right Violations