L.A. County Board of Supervisors Calls for end of Lachin Corridor Blockade
Posted on February. 10. 2023
On Tuesday Jan 24, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to call upon President Biden and Congressman Adam Schiff to end Armenian suffering due to the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor – a nearly four mile road that is the only land connection between Armenia and the Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan. The blockade, in effect since December 12, 2022, has cut off 120,000 Armenians from food, medicine, and other essential supplies. Supervisor Kathryn Barger and co-author Supervisor Lindsey Horvath introduced the motion that sparked the Board’s action. “This is a humanitarian crisis that impacts our County, which is home to the largest concentration of Armenian-American constituents in the U.S.,” said Super- visor Kathryn Barger. “Many have family members who are suffering from hunger, lacking medical care, enduring electricity and gas shut-offs, and feeling increasingly isolated. We can’t stand by with our arms crossed, especially when the suffering has a local impact.” “In the face of a destabilizing and destructive blockade, I am proud to join the call to end the suffering that it is causing,” said Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “We cannot continue to tolerate the ongoing human rights abuses in Armenia and Artsakh. Food, medicine, and electricity ought to be treated as basic human rights. It is our duty to speak up and stand with our Armenian-American community and all of those abroad.” Numerous prominent community leaders testified in person during the Board of Supervisors meeting today, expressing their support of the motion before the Board took its vote