U.S. Christian leaders urge Trump to act on Armenian captives

PanARMENIAN.Net - A group of Christian leaders in the United States has sent a letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to take decisive and urgent action to secure the release of 23 Armenian and one Azerbaijani Christian convert held by Azerbaijani authorities. The letter, published by Christian Newswire, highlights their dire situation.

Among the captives is Ruben Vardanyan, who has been on a hunger strike for 21 days, severely deteriorating his health under harsh prison conditions in Azerbaijan.

"We believe that you are the only one who can save these Christian hostages. Nearly two years ago, Azerbaijan carried out ethnic cleansing against more than 120,000 Christian Armenians, while the Biden administration refused to take action to stop the atrocities or hold the perpetrators accountable. Since then, the same regime has held 23 Christian Armenians and one Azerbaijani Christian convert hostage, who, according to credible reports, are subjected to daily torture.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, the only organization with access to the detainees’ health conditions, was recently ordered to leave the country," the letter states.

The signatories also expressed gratitude to Trump for his past statements in support of Armenia and persecuted Christians.

Eighteen Christian organization leaders signed the letter, including Dr. Alveda King, president of the Center for the American Dream; the Honorable Michele Bachmann, dean of the Robertson School of Government; Sohrab Ahmari, editor at UnHerd; and Troy Miller, president and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters, among others.

Azerbaijan has officially confirmed the detention of 23 Armenian prisoners, most of whom were captured after the 2020 war.