CANBERRA: On Tuesday, 27 February 2024, New South Wales Senator Hollie Hughes rose in the Australian Senate to slam the Azerbaijani dictatorship over its handling of journalists, human rights advocates, and indigenous Armenians from Artsakh, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).
Following a meeting earlier this year with visiting former political prisoner held captive by Azerbaijan - Alexander Lapshin, Hughes was compelled to share the grim details of his brutal imprisonment and heroic story of survival in a two-minute Private Members Statement.
The Liberal Senator went on to become the first Australian elected representative to call out the illegal imprisonment of the government authorities of the Republic of Artsakh.
"Unfortunately, Mr Lapshin's case is not isolated," she said. "There remain countless political prisoners, journalists, and Armenian prisoners of war, including civilians and government authorities from the Republic of Artsakh held captive on fabricated charges."
Hughes, who is also a staunch supporter of Federal recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, went on to amplify the concerns of Armenian-Australians horrified over what she called Azerbaijan's "ethnic cleansing of over 100,000 Armenians from Artsakh in September 2023 after Azerbaijan forced an unprovoked military attack forcing the entire population to leave."
Hughes completed her statement on the floor of the Senate with a call on the Australian Government to stand up to "one of the most corrupt and aggressive nations in the world" and "demand accountability from those responsible".
Armenian National Committee of Australia Executive Director Michael Kolokossian expressed the organisation and community's sincere thanks for amplifying the voices of Armenian-Australians.
