Demonstrators demand Schiff do more for Artsakh
BURBANK, Calif. - Demonstrators gathered for a third day in a row outside Congressman Adam Schiff's office in Burbank, then walked over to his residence.
They're demanding he do more to help bring an end to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Artsakh.
For over 7 months, Azerbaijan has blocked the Lachin corridor - the sole overland route connecting Armenia and Artsakh.
The Armenian-American community here in Los Angeles is extremely concerned for the 120,000 people living in the region who are on the brink of famine.
Congressman Schiff is a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.
He has released a statement on the matter, but demonstrators say they're unsatisfied with his response.
They have two demands - one is for him to use his personal Twitter account.
"Send a tweet informing all of his constituents about his plans to visit Armenia on or before September 15 in order to drive down to the Lachin corridor to see the blockade first hand, that he can come back and tell his colleagues on Capitol Hill about the suffering that he can see in Artsakh," said Donald Wilson Bush.
The second is for the congressman to call a national press conference involving a select group of leaders in order to raise the awareness in the national and international media.
FOX 11 reached out to the congressman and asked to speak with him.
We were told he was unavailable and directed to the same statement, which reads in part, "I've persistently called for Azerbaijan to lift the blockade and allow humanitarian aid to move freely via the Lachin corridor, and i have urged President Biden to take immediate action to address the dire situation in Artsakh."
His full statement can be read by tapping or clicking here.
Meanwhile, Luis Moreno O'Campo, a prominent expert in international law and former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, has filed a report stating this blockade can indeed be characterized as genocide, saying "starvation is the invisible genocide weapon."
His report can be read by tapping or clicking here.
Another rally took place Wednesday evening. At one point during the rally, the demonstration spilled onto the 134 Freeway as a tractor-trailer parked horizontally on the road, blocking traffic all together.
The demonstrations shut down one direction of the 134 Freeway for a couple of hours before eventually reopening. It is unknown if that tractor-trailer driver was ticketed for the stunt.