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.”