Azerbaijan in the crosshairs of USCIRF Mythology and distorted reality

On June 5, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will hold virtual hearings focused on the situation in Azerbaijan. According to a statement from the USCIRF, one of the key issues will be the alleged destruction of Armenian cultural heritage. Once again, Azerbaijan is being dragged into an absurd campaign of lies and deliberate distortion of facts.

"Religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh remain threatened as Azerbaijani authorities develop the region and eliminate Armenian cultural heritage," the Commission's statement reads.

It also notes that "religious freedom conditions in Azerbaijan remained poor."

"In February, USCIRF traveled to Azerbaijan to survey the country’s religious freedom conditions and meet with religious communities, human rights activists, and government officials. In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Azerbaijan to the Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom," the statement says.

This narrative is undoubtedly based on unfounded allegations and misrepresentation of the facts.

Meanwhile, in January 2025, President Ilham Aliyev signed a Decree on providing financial assistance to religious institutions. According to the Decree, funds were allocated from the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan's reserve fund for 2025, as specified in the state budget, not only to the Caucasus Muslims Office but also to the religious education of the Baku and Azerbaijan Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Funding was also provided to the Religious Community of Mountain Jews in Baku, the Baku Religious Community of European Jews, the Baku Religious Community of Sephardic Jews, the Apostolic Prefecture of the Catholic Church in the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Albanian-Udin Christian Religious Community.

The question arises: how, in light of all this, can Azerbaijan be accused of "severe violations of religious freedom"?!

The USCIRF claims that in February, their representatives visited Azerbaijan and met with religious community leaders. However, the reality is that leaders of all religious denominations in Azerbaijan have consistently emphasised that people of all faiths have lived and continue to live peacefully in the country. It appears the USCIRF is spreading a false narrative with no basis in fact.

It is also important to remind that among Azerbaijan’s National Heroes, many of those who gave their lives in the war for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity came from diverse nationalities and religious backgrounds.

There were even Christians among those who fought and died on Azerbaijan’s side during the 44-day war. For those writing these false reports for the USCIRF, a visit to Azerbaijan would quickly dispel these unfounded claims.

Moreover, in January 2025, former Ashkenazi Chief  Rabbi of Israel, Israel Meir Lau, stated that during the Holocaust, more than 55,000 Jews fleeing extermination found refuge in Azerbaijan. Lau made this statement during a ceremony at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, marking Holocaust Remembrance Day. He shared his personal survival story, noting that at the age of seven, he lost both of his parents. Lau emphasised that throughout history, the Azerbaijani people have never shown violence toward Jews. After the Hamas attack on October 7, hundreds of Azerbaijani citizens came to the Israeli embassy with flowers and words of condolences.

"We must remember the evil deeds, but also thank those whose hearts are filled with love and brotherhood for the people of Israel," concluded the rabbi.

All of this is a vivid testament to the high level of religious tolerance that has always existed in Azerbaijan.

In Armenia, there has never been anything close to this. On the contrary, there have been numerous examples of anti-Semitism in that country. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from Armenian territory, which is also a clear example of religious intolerance. Moreover, the recent torchlight procession in Yerevan, during which the national flags of Azerbaijan and Türkiye were burned, is yet another example of national and religious intolerance in Armenia.

No one in Armenia has been held accountable for these actions. All of this officially confirms that the Armenian authorities are indulging Armenian nationalists. The First Karabakh War, the 44-day war, and the one-day anti-terrorist operation — all of these took place on Azerbaijani territory, which had been under Armenian occupation for over a quarter of a century. The Armenian-Azerbaijani wars were never fought on Armenian soil. Therefore, any accusations against Azerbaijan are inherently inappropriate.

But we all remember how the U.S. Congress, during the year of the Shusha occupation and the genocide of the peaceful Azerbaijani population in Khojaly, passed the disgraceful Section 907 amendment.

Azerbaijan, despite everything, has achieved all its historical objectives. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan have been restored, despite all the anti-Azerbaijani actions taken by certain circles in the U.S.