Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has hand-delivered personally signed letters to Farid Mehralizada, Ulviyya Ali, and Alasgar Mammadli, reaffirming her commitment to advocate for their release and support freedom of the press in Azerbaijan.
Last month, Senator Shaheen directed her staff to deliver the letters in Baku, addressed to Farid Mehralizada, a journalist with Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty; Ulviyya Ali, a former Voice of America correspondent; and Alasgar Mammadli, a lawyer and former Deputy Chief of Party with IREX and Internews.
Her outreach followed recent progress in the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process and the signing of new Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at deepening cooperation among the United States, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.
In the letters, Senator Shaheen reaffirmed her commitment to securing the release of the three individuals-each with strong professional ties to U.S. organizations-and expressed hope that she will one day welcome them to the Senate to celebrate their freedom.
“I welcome Azerbaijan’s commitment to peace with Armenia and share the Administration’s view that this opportunity opens the door to a stronger U.S.-Azerbaijan partnership,” Shaheen said. “There is broad recognition in Congress that a new chapter in our relationship is possible, but that must include the release of those unjustly detained-including Farid, Ulviyya, and Alasgar-and an end to the targeting of family members like Nargiz Mukhtarova.
Persecuting individuals whose only ‘crime’ is working with the United States is incompatible with the spirit of this partnership. Congress will play an important role in implementing the new Strategic Partnership Memorandum of Understanding, and I am ready to support that process, but many of my colleagues and I will also be looking for meaningful progress on human rights.”
In her messages to the detainees, Shaheen praised their resilience, courage, and professional ethics, referencing international media coverage of their work and noting that defending political prisoners remains a personal priority.
She emphasized that she will continue to use her position to keep international attention on their cases and to advocate for their release.
“Please stay strong and remember that your bravery is not unnoticed,” Shaheen wrote in one of the letters.
The letters were widely interpreted as a symbolic gesture of bipartisan concern in Washington about the human-rights situation in Azerbaijan-particularly regarding press freedom and civil society.
The initiative also coincides with renewed diplomatic engagement between Baku and Washington, as both sides seek to expand cooperation in energy, security, and regional stability.
