U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced H.R. 6534 on December 9, a bill that would repeal Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and lift long-standing U.S. restrictions on direct government assistance to Azerbaijan. The legislation has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and would represent a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Azerbaijan at a time when Armenian civilians, cultural heritage, and regional stability remain under serious threat.
Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act was enacted in 1992 in response to Azerbaijan’s blockade and use of force against Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). The provision restricts direct U.S. government assistance to Azerbaijan unless the U.S. president certifies that Baku is taking concrete steps to end hostilities, lift blockades, and pursue peaceful engagement with Armenia. For more than three decades, Section 907 has served as one of the few accountability mechanisms in U.S. policy toward Azerbaijan, conditioning American aid on behavior rather than geopolitical expediency.
The relevance of Section 907 has only intensified in recent years. Following the 2020 war and Azerbaijan’s military assault on Artsakh in 2023, more than 120,000 Armenians were forcibly displaced from their ancestral homeland. Multiple international reports have documented the detention of Armenian civilians and prisoners of war, as well as the systematic destruction and erasure of Armenian Christian and cultural heritage sites. Armenian advocates argue that lifting aid restrictions under these circumstances would amount to rewarding aggression and ethnic cleansing rather than promoting peace or stability.
Armenian advocacy organizations, including the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), have strongly condemned the bill, calling it reckless and dangerous. ANCA warned that repealing Section 907 would reward Azerbaijan for ethnic cleansing, ongoing human rights violations, and continued threats to Armenia’s sovereignty. The organization has urged Armenian Americans and allies to contact their members of Congress and oppose the legislation.
“The Armenian National Committee of America strongly opposes any effort to repeal or weaken Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. This provision remains a critical safeguard against enabling further Azerbaijani military aggression and human rights abuses. Repealing it would undermine U.S. law crafted to protect Armenia and Artsakh and would send a dangerous signal that acts of violence and displacement go without consequence,” said Gev Iskajyan, ANCA’s Advocacy Director, in a statement to Zartonk Media.
ANCA is urging concerned citizens to take action by contacting their members of Congress and opposing the legislation. To raise your voice on this issue, the ANCA urges constituents to visit http://go.anca.org/luna.
Critics of the bill also warn that lifting restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan undermines America’s stated commitment to human rights and democratic values. They argue that providing unconditional assistance to an authoritarian regime engaged in ongoing regional aggression risks further destabilizing the South Caucasus and weakening U.S. credibility on human rights issues worldwide. Supporters of maintaining Section 907 emphasize that the provision is not anti-Azerbaijan, but pro-peace, serving as a necessary policy tool to discourage violence and encourage accountability.
H.R. 6534 currently has no listed co-sponsors and remains in the early stages of the legislative process. As the bill moves through Congress, Armenian Americans and human rights advocates are mobilizing to defend Section 907, viewing it as a critical safeguard for Armenian lives, cultural heritage, and regional security.
