| Your support is crucial! The Armenian National Committee of UK works tirelessly to advocate for the Armenian Cause and protect our community’s rights. We need your donations to continue this vital work. Every contribution makes a difference. Please donate today and help us keep our voice strong. |
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1. Volunteers wanted: Join ANC-UK!
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| The Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom is looking for volunteers to support our work across events, advocacy and parliamentary engagement.
From parliamentary meetings and community events, to our annual gala and the Armenian Genocide commemoration at the Cenotaph and Ealing memorial, volunteers play a vital role in helping us raise awareness and advocate for the Armenian Cause.
If you are interested in politics, international law, human rights or public affairs, this is a unique opportunity to experience first-hand how UK Parliament works, meet parliamentarians, help organise meaningful events, support advocacy for Armenian Genocide recognition, the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh, and the fight against Azerbaijani and Turkish lobbying efforts.
To get involved, email info@ancuk.org.uk or check our website https://ancuk.org.uk/take-action/volunteer/
Stand with our community. Help us make the Armenian voice heard in the UK! |
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2. CSI calls for UN Fact-Finding Mission on Nagorno Karabakh
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| Christian Solidarity International has delivered an oral statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for an official fact-finding mission following the destruction of Armenian Christian cultural heritage in Nagorno Karabakh.
CSI condemned the removal of “150,000 ethnic Christian Armenians from their ancestral land by the invading Azerbaijani army”, describing it as “a severe campaign of ethnic cleansing”.
The statement also said Azerbaijan continues to ignore the November 2023 International Court of Justice order requiring the “safe and unhindered return” of the displaced population.
CSI further accused Azerbaijan of violating a 2021 ICJ directive by destroying Armenian cultural and religious heritage sites, including the recent demolition of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral in Stepanakert.
Joel Veldkamp, CSI’s Director for Public Advocacy, urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the President of the UN Human Rights Council to organise a fact-finding mission and submit a report documenting the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh.
CSI also called for the safe return of the native Christian population and the release of 20 Armenians held as hostages by Azerbaijan. |
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3. UK Parliamentarians raising the issues of Armenia and Artsakh
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The officers of the APPG for Armenia wrote to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper regarding the challenges facing displaced Armenians from Artsakh who are living in Armenia. To prevent them from leaving Armenia, their livelihoods must be secured. The officers asked the UK Government to consider increasing its support for Armenia in assisting the Armenians of Artsakh.
The Minister for Europe, Stephen Doughty, responded by outlining the assistance already provided:
“As part of the UK’s bilateral development engagement with Armenia, we have sought to mainstream support to displaced populations in ways that promote social cohesion and deliver benefits for both displaced communities and their host communities. For example, through our recent support for women’s economic empowerment in Tavush, Shirak and Kotayk, we have helped local women, including refugees, to access employment , finance and economic networks while addressing inequality.
Our wider support for civil society and independent media also plays an important role in strengthening resilience, including by building capacities to counter foreign interference and addressing malign narratives including those that seek to exploit displacement or widen social divides. At national and local levels, UK support on inclusive budgeting and decision-making has aimed to promote fair and efficient distribution of resources, including for under-represented and vulnerable groups.
In parallel, the UK has supported refugees from Karabakh through regionally managed HMG programming, including our Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN) programme. This work has enabled civil society organisations and women’s rights organisations to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda and to increase human security for women and marginalised groups, including through targeted activities supporting women from Karabakh.”
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| During a Westminster Hall debate on the impact of conflicts on older people, Shadow Minister Andrew Snowden MP raised the killings of elderly Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh during the 2020 war.
Speaking in Parliament, he said: “In 2020, elderly Armenians who stayed in Nagorno-Karabakh were subject to summary executions. Indeed, older people made up more than half of all Armenian civilian deaths.”
The remarks were made during the debate “Conflicts: Impact on Older People”, held on 9 July 2026. |
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| Question by Sammy Wilson, Democratic Unionist Party MP for East Antrim, and answer by Stephen Doughty Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office). |
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4. Andy Burnham appointed new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: Recognise the Armenian Genocide!
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| Congratulations to Andy Burnham on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He becomes the seventh UK Prime Minister since 2016.
As the Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom, we call on Prime Minister Burnham and his Government to do what successive UK governments have failed to do: Recognise the Armenian Genocide. |
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5. Armenian hostages held in Baku
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| In a landmark vote, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee has called on Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian hostages held in Baku. The amendment to H.R. 9087 was adopted by a 44 to 7 vote on July 22. The measure was backed by the Armenian National Committee of America and led by Congressional Armenian Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Brad Sherman, with the support of Committee Chairman Brian Mast.
The vote places the Committee on record in demanding the release of Armenian prisoners of war and political prisoners illegally held by Azerbaijan. |
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| Fresh reports of serious injuries and deteriorating health among Armenian hostages held in Azerbaijani prisons have raised renewed concern over their treatment and the lack of independent international monitoring.
Siranush Sahakyan, the legal representative of the Armenian captives before the European Court of Human Rights, said families had reported serious injuries among detainees. “We have received reports of serious injuries. We have no way to verify this ourselves”, said Sahakyan. “In some cases the reports concern a worsening of existing health conditions, while in others there are circumstances that could suggest elements of violence or outside intervention”.
Families have also reported severe physical deterioration, lack of adequate medical care and restricted communication with the prisoners. One relative said: “He’s become very thin, just skin and bones. His lower teeth are gone”.
Nineteen Armenian hostages remain in Azerbaijani custody. The European Court of Human Rights has required Azerbaijan to submit updated information on their detention conditions and health status by August 31. |
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6. Marriott Bonvoy Activities offers tours to ethnically cleansed Artsakh
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| Marriott Bonvoy Activities is offering tours to the occupied cities of Shushi and Stepanakert, allowing travellers to earn Marriott Bonvoy points while visiting a region emptied of its indigenous Armenian population following the 2023 forced displacement of more than 120,000 Armenians.
The itinerary includes entry into the “Karabakh zone” and a stop at the iconic Armenian monument “We Are Our Mountains”, yet nowhere does it identify the monument, the land, or its history as Armenian.
Instead, the tour promotes the “rebirth of a region” while omitting the blockade, forced displacement, destruction of Armenian cultural heritage, and the ongoing illegal detention of Armenian hostages.
Human tragedy should never be repackaged as a tourist attraction. Companies should not profit from or help normalise the consequences of ethnic cleansing.
Take action: email marriott-activities@travelcurious.com and urge Marriott Bonvoy Activities to immediately remove these tours from its platform. |
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7. News articles and recent developments
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| “Konstantin Sokolov, a Russian-born private equity investor in Chicago, will serve as chairman of a new state department enterprise fund overseeing more than $200m designated for a central Asia trade corridor, including investments in transportation, energy infrastructure and critical minerals, the Guardian has learned.”
“It’s unclear exactly how Sokolov or America may benefit from the fund, or if he will receive compensation for his role, but Sokolov is a major shareholder in Armenia’s largest telecommunications company, Viva Armenia, and holds positions with the Northern Pillar Energy Consortium, a clean energy and fiber-optic undersea cable initiative connecting Europe and Africa, and chair of Pelagos Data Centres, according to his personal website.” |
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| British-Armenian footballer Finn Geragusian has signed his first professional contract with Premier League club Sunderland AFC.
The 18-year-old striker scored 13 goals and provided three assists across Sunderland’s academy teams last season.
Sunderland Head of Academy John Hewitson said: “Finn has made massive progress over the last couple of seasons and that is testament to his hard-working attitude. We are delighted that he will be continuing his progression at the club.”
Geragusian has also represented Armenia internationally, marking another important step in the rise of a young British-Armenian talent in English football. |
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| American Journal News has reported that former US Senator John Sununu’s stock portfolio benefited from Azerbaijan’s war against Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
According to the report, Sununu owns between $1 million and $5 million in Anglo Asian Mining stock, a London-listed company operating in Azerbaijan.
The article quotes the Armenian National Committee UK as saying Anglo Asian Mining was “taking advantage of the war and exploiting an unstable region to maximize profits for its investors”.
The article states that Azerbaijan’s 2020 and 2023 offensives allowed Anglo Asian Mining to expand into Nagorno Karabakh, with the company’s stock value growing significantly in recent years. It also cites findings connected to Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights, which documented evidence of “executions, torture, mutilations, and beheadings” carried out by Azerbaijani forces. |
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Make your donation
Please give today to help our campaigns
To continue our ever growing work in advocacy we urgently need funds to have paid staff. All our efforts are done on voluntary basis. Please donate so we can carry on working for the Armenian Cause and raise the concerns of the British Armenian community.
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You can now donate monthly!
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Why Donate?
The Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom (ANC-UK) is the largest and most influential British-Armenian political grassroots organisation.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Britain and affiliated organisations around the world, ANC-UK actively advances the concerns of the British-Armenian community on a broad range of issues.
The work achieved by ANC-UK is currently on a volunteer basis. However, we are hopeful that in the coming years through the financial support of our community, the ANC-UK chapter will have the necessary funds to open a full-time office employing an Executive Director and a part-time Administrative Assistant.
Setting up an ANC-UK office will allow for our organisation’s goals to be achieved as they have been throughout the diaspora in the United States of America, Canada, Australia and Europe.
As a grassroots organisation, we rely upon you, our community and friends for financial assistance to advance our cause. Your donations support our goal of having a full-time office, to advocate on issues important to all British-Armenians and the Armenian cause.
Thank you for your consideration of our request for your support.
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