Lemkin Institute urges Trump to secure release of Armenian prisoners before Christmas

As the Christmas holiday approaches, the Lemkin Institute strongly urges U.S. President Donald Trump to take measures to secure the immediate release of Armenian prisoners being held illegally by Azerbaijan. 

"These hostages have been all but abandoned by the outside world, despite the fact that they are being held by a state that has fought three genocidal wars against Armenians in the past five years. Their release would constitute a major humanitarian and geopolitical victory for the President and would strengthen his efforts to secure long-term peace in the South Caucasus and the Middle East," the Lemkin Institute said in an open letter to Trump released on 16 December.

"We believe that supporting and securing the return of all the Armenian hostages will underscore President Trump’s stated mission of bringing peace to the region and will buttress U.S. strength from the Mediterranean to the Pacific. While President Trump has repeatedly emphasized his role in promoting stability and preventing further conflict, this mission remains weak as long as an unknown number of Armenian POWs continue to be held in Azerbaijan. We remind the President that he promised to protect Armenian Christians during his campaign.

"Armenian Apostolic Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6. We urge the U.S. President to bring the hostages home to their families before then," it added.