Last week, a legislation (HR8141) sponsored by American Congresswoman Dina Titus was introduced in the House of Representatives, proposing sanctions against high-ranking Azerbaijani officials for human rights abuses and military operations.
According to the Azerbaijani media, names of 44 Azerbaijani officials are included in the final version of the legislation. The names of three new officials, namely Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces Karim Valiyev, Head of the Investigative Department under the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan Neimat Avazov, and Baku’s Nasimi Rayon Court Judge Azer Taghiyev appeared in the final version of the document submitted to Congress.
If the legislation is passed, Congress will require the Biden administration to impose sanctions on Azerbaijani officials under the Magnitsky Act for brutal repression against the political opposition in Azerbaijan and for the 2023 aggression against Artsakh.
