US Religious Freedom Commission report overflows with biased and unfounded criticism of Baku Statement by Western Azerbaijan Community

The Western Azerbaijan Community has strongly condemned the recent annual report issued by the US Commission on Religious Freedom, describing it as a one-sided document filled with unsupported and biased allegations against Azerbaijan.

In their statement, the community asserts that the report continues a troubling trend of unfair treatment towards Baku, per Caliber.Az.

"As in previous years, the authors of this report have relied on fabricated accounts from radical Armenian nationalists such as L. Khachatryan, H. Gulyan, and S. Bokcheryan, who are supported by extremist groups like the 'All-Armenian Charitable Union' and the 'Aragats Fund.' The report also heavily draws from Freedom House, an organization known for its anti-Azerbaijani stance and its role as a mouthpiece for the radical Armenian diaspora," the community remarks.

The statement also points out a glaring oversight in the Commission’s approach: the failure to acknowledge Armenia's record on religious freedom. "Armenia, which claims to 'ensure freedom of religion,' has forcibly removed over a million Azerbaijanis from its own territory and the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, while destroying more than 300 mosques and countless cemeteries," it notes.

Further fueling the community’s frustration is the Commission's use of the term "Nagorno-Karabakh," which they see as a blatant disregard for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty. "We condemn the Commission’s actions as racist and counterproductive to the peace process in the region," the community concludes, urging the American government to take action against the Commission's double standards and biased practices.

By Tamilla Hasanova