Azerbaijani authorities warned me that there would be consequences and demanded that I cancel the trip. But I went anyway because the world needed to see the Armenian people, their communities, their churches, and their deep connection to their homeland. Today, my heart breaks to think of Artsakh being destroyed and its population turned into refugees. U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu made this statement at a press conference on Capitol Hill marking the 1,000th day of the unlawful captivity of Armenians.

She noted that following her return from Nagorno-Karabakh, official Baku blacklisted her and banned her from entering Azerbaijan. "I wear this band as a badge of honor. If standing up for human rights means I am no longer welcome in Azerbaijan, then that only strengthens my determination to keep fighting for justice for the Armenian people," Judy Chu emphasized.

The Congresswoman called the 1,000th day of detention of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians a heartbreaking milestone. She reminded the audience that as a result of the 2023 ethnic cleansing, more than 100,000 Armenians were forced to leave their ancestral homeland, and prisoners remain in Azerbaijani custody to this day, where they are subjected to abuse, torture, and denied basic human and legal rights.

Judy Chu expressed deep gratitude to her colleague Brad Sherman for his leadership in securing a bipartisan amendment in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, declaring it the sense of Congress that Baku should immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian prisoners of war and political prisoners. She stated that these individuals deserve justice, due process, and the right to come home to their families, and that the world community has no right to look away.

"Today, as we mark these 1,000 days, we send a clear message: these prisoners have not been forgotten, their families have not been forgotten, and the people of Artsakh have not been forgotten. We will not stop speaking out until every prisoner is released and the Armenian people can live in peace, security, and dignity," the Congresswoman concluded.