Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau member Lilit Galstyan held several meeting with Members of Congress during her visit to the United States last week.

Galstyan, who is a lawmaker in the Armenian Parliament called on her American colleagues to call on Azerbaijan to release Armenian captives being held in Baku.

In her meeting with Rep. Brad Sherman, a co-chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, Galstyan emphasized the importance of the return of all Armenian prisoners held in Baku. She underscored that without solving humanitarian issues it would be impossible to have a stable and lasting peace in the region.

Galstyan also briefed Sherman and the other members of Congress she met separately about the decline of democracy in Armenia, citing the government’s deepening repressions, alarming cases of violation of free speech, and the illegal campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church as examples.

The ARF leader emphasized the same points when she met last week with representatives Laura Friedman and Judy Chu during her visit to Los Angeles.

Galstyan was in L.A. to keynote a celebration of the ARF’s 135 anniversary on January 25.