Kim Kardashian is usually in the news for many, many issues of all kinds and circumstances, but not exactly for her impact on international politics. However, the reality star and businesswoman knows full well that every word she says generates massive media attention, which she takes advantage of to steer the spotlight where she wants it. And this time we’re going to Armenia. Kardashian has roots in this country through her father, the late lawyer Robert Kardashian. She has visited the area and spoken about it occasionally and would now like to ask for help as the Nagorno-Karabakh region has been under a blockade since December 12th. And he has come to demand it of President Joe Biden himself.
The Californian businesswoman wrote an open letter in Rolling Stone magazine entitled “My appeal to Joe Biden to stop another Armenian genocide,” which she signed together with Eric, a doctor and professor of medicine at the University of California, who is also of Armenian descent Esrailian. “We are Armenians,” they begin, “we are descendants of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and we do not want to have to talk about the recognition or commemoration of another genocide in the future.” Both assure that they have been “for some time” working behind the scenes to support the Armenian brothers and sisters”, but this “diplomatic approach” is no longer producing results and they need higher partners.
More information
Both Kardashian and Esrailian have been talking about the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region since mid-December, nine months ago. This province (which Armenians call Artsakh), always in an unstable situation, lies within Azerbaijan but has a large population from Armenia, to which it is connected by a winding road, almost an umbilical cord, called the Lachín Corridor is, through which fuel flows, food and medicine passport. However, on December 12, a group of Azerbaijani protesters blocked the square with banners in Russian and English, ostensibly for environmental reasons to stop the exploitation of some mines. But representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh (a self-proclaimed republic) assure that this blockade is in fact a government plan by Azerbaijan to leave the region without the 400 tons of basic foodstuffs arriving daily from Armenia. So much so that in May that country reiterated that it was ready to recognize Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh in exchange for security guarantees for Armenians living in the region.
This blockade and the resulting lack of supplies are already causing deaths in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. And what the signing duo demands is that they not continue. They accuse the Azerbaijani government of “using the famine as a weapon against the Armenian population of the region.” “There is no time left for thoughts, prayers and worries,” they say and call for action. “It is clear that this reckless blockade has crossed all red lines of human rights and humanitarian law. The blockade by human rights groups such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as the hateful rhetoric that accompanies the blockade, are signs of genocidal intent.” Both assure that “at the beginning of the crisis, about 120,000 Armenians, including 30,000 children”, in the Artsakh region , as they put it, were alive but that “unfortunately due to famine and the inability to obtain adequate medical care” this is the case , there has been a significant and tragic loss of life, and it will only get worse when no immediate action will be taken. For those who survive, the trauma will be lifelong.” They also speak of “coordinated campaigns on social networks to pretend this blockade isn’t happening” and to confuse the population.
Esrailian and Kardashian cite former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, who spoke about the situation at a press conference last month. “One way to commit genocide is to create conditions that enable the physical destruction of a group, and that is already happening,” he said. “There are no crematoria or machete attacks. Hunger is the invisible weapon of genocide. Without a dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be annihilated in a few weeks,” the lawyer assured in a report in which he compared what happened to the genocide that the Ottoman Empire had already suffered against the Armenians in 1915. They also reiterate that “the collective silence and inaction by individuals, governments and governmental organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union have perpetuated the crisis.”
Doctor Eric Esrailian.UCLA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
The signatories call for “economic sanctions, a halt to foreign aid to Azerbaijan and prosecution in international criminal courts” to stop the bleeding of human life. “But the process is very slow and time is of the essence. As citizens, we call on leaders like President Biden, Secretary of State [de EE UU, Antony] Blinken and his colleagues should take a stand immediately. “They need to pressure Azerbaijan to open the corridor without conditions.” Kardashian and Dr. Esrailian speak of “potential ethnic cleansing” and assure that they want to draw attention to stop the crisis and get their government to intervene: “Leaders who are effective and help our people will be remembered for their heroism. “ ; Even when well intentioned, those who are ineffective will be remembered for allowing genocide to take place before their very eyes. It’s your decision.”
So far, Kardashian’s appearance in politics has been limited to the domestic sphere. She is studying to be a lawyer and one of her main tasks is to review the life sentences of dozens of prisoners; In fact, it has led to this and some have gained freedom. Yes, he had raised the Armenian issue years ago. In April 2016, the Azerbaijani ambassador advised him not to discuss politics after he posted a message on Instagram asking for peace in Armenia; In September, she responded by writing about the country in a column in The New York Times. Then Kardashian responded to another piece in the Wall Street Journal denying genocide, titled Genocide Denial Cannot Be Allowed. “The fact that the Wall Street Journal reported this is bold, disturbing and dangerous. It’s one thing for a newspaper to exploit a fabricated story, but making fun of an issue like genocide in this way is simply unacceptable,” he said at the time in a public fight that he continues to wage and will not end. Because as he says in his recent letter: “We will continue to use our voices to spread the truth.”