Community: Azerbaijan-related part of US Department of State’s Report on International Religious Freedom is of anti-Azerbaijani nature
17 May 2023, 11:29

The US Department of State has recently released the annual Report on International Religious Freedom.

The report contains the parts relating to Azerbaijan and Armenia. Both parts are not objective and evidently anti-Azerbaijani. 

The State Department, which puts forward baseless claims regarding Armenian religious monuments in Azerbaijan, somehow turns a blind eye to the complete expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia on the grounds of ethnic and religious hatred, the destruction of about 300 mosques registered by the state in this country, and all other religious and cultural heritage belonging to Azerbaijanis.

The fact that as the sole source for its anti-Azerbaijani allegations the State Department cites pretendedly the Cornell University but in fact the outright lies fabricated by three Armenian radical nationalist authors (L. Khatchadourian, H. Ghulyan, S. Bocchieriyan), funded by extremist organizations such as the "Armenian General Benevolent Union" and "Aragats Foundation" proves that this report is biased.

We call on the US State Department to revise the said parts of the report, remove baseless claims, and reflect the facts of rampant Azerbaijan-phobic tendencies in Armenia, as well as the systematic violation of religious freedoms in this country, the destruction of religious and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, including mosques and cemeteries.

We also call on the US government to make effort to make Armenia stop destroying Azerbaijani heritage and restore what it has already destroyed.

Finally, we hope that, in accordance with our request to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the US government will make effort to ensure the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia to their homes, protect their rights and freedoms, including religious freedom after their return.