American actor calls for diplomatic efforts to ensure the return of Karabakh Armenians
American actor and film director Mel Gibson released a video message in solidarity with the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh and called for international action to ensure the return of the displaced to their homes.
Mel Gibson condemns Azerbaijan's genocide of #Artsakh Christian Armenians, calling out media silence and demanding swift international action to protect and save Armenians
— ANCA (@ANCA_DC) September 27, 2023
To the Armenian people who still suffer, I say: "Don't lose heart, God is with you"#120000Reasons pic.twitter.com/Qo7qOZdNW9
In the video, posted on social media by The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), Gibson criticized the media silence surrounding the Karabakh Armenians after Azerbaijan's military offensive in the region, saying:
"The media silence on this issue is deafening. The Armenian people who've been subjected during centuries to persecution due to their faith find themselves once again subjected to a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing. In the grip of Azerbaijan and Turkey, countless Armenians are enduring unspeakable horrors: Loss of life, forced displacements, starvation and isolation from essential supplies. These are the same Armenians whose roots run deep in a land they called home for generations."
Calling on the international community "to take swift action and send a helping hand to Armenian population," to "create a humanitarian corridor for safe passage" and to "engage in immediate diplomatic efforts to ensure that the exiled individuals can return to their rightful homes," Gibson said:
"To the Armenian people who still suffer, I say, 'Don't lose heart, God is with you.'"
Over 70,000 residents of Karabakh have already fled to Armenia amid fears of ethnic cleansing after Azerbaijan's move to take control of the enclave. Baku has called the offensive an "anti-terror" operation, in incrimination of Karabakh Armenians' right to self-government.
