Dear supporter,

Thank you for supporting the global campaign to free Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and captives, and for taking the time to sign our petition to UEFA. Our petition garnered over 13000 signatures by July 3rd, the last game to be hosted in Baku, and it was shared over 10000 times and received over 190000 page views. 

Our petition ensured Azerbaijan's attempts at sportswashing failed. Our campaigning generated an avalanche of fact-based reporting and critical commentary that highlighted the horrific war crimes from the recent war, the deep-seated corruption, and severe human rights abuses by Aliyev’s regime. Our petition, the numerous letters from individuals and organizations, and our grassroots activism ensured this issue was not forgotten. Much of the coverage received highlighted and questioned UEFA’s decision to allow Azerbaijan to host some of the EURO 2020  games there.

Below is a list of some of the media coverage generated on the topic, including Amnesty International Denmark’s special report on Azerbaijan:

1. Dutch Parliament: no government delegation to the quarterfinals in Baku
2. Dutch Parliament Adopts Armenian Demand and Boycotts UEFA Game in Baku
3. Global Network to Free Armenian POWs redoubling boycott efforts against Azerbaijan for EURO 2020
4. Behind this man, the helmets of the Armenians his soldiers have killed are on display
5. Denmark plays quarterfinals in the gangster's backyard
6. Forbes: Azerbaijan’s Sportswashing Culminates With Euro 2020 Quarterfinal
7. One of Europe's last dictatorships hosts Denmark's quarterfinals: 'It is deeply problematic'
8. Football games for the dictator
9. Amnesty International, Denmark: Five things you should know about Azerbaijan

EURO 2020 is now over, but our campaign to ensure all our POWs and captives are returned safely continues. We will push this issue by continuing to:

• Demand that UEFA and FIFA immediately revoke any and all hosting rights in Azerbaijan unless they unconditionally release all illegally held Armenian POWs and captives. Please support us by continuing to share our petition.
• Demand that UEFA acknowledges the plights of these POWs and captives by publicly condemning their mistreatment and the Azerbaijani government’s ongoing human rights violations. It is imperative that UEFA recognizes the dangerous precedent they have set by awarding Azerbaijan with these hosting privileges, and how this decision violates their own values related to diversity and inclusivity. 
• Request that FIFA’s board initiate an investigation into the awarding of the EURO 2020 hosting rights to Baku and whether corruption involving SOCAR or other external players was involved.

We also intend to broaden our ‘Boycott Baku’ campaign into a wider ‘Boycott Azerbaijan’ initiative which will target all major international sporting and cultural events which are expected to be hosted in Azerbaijan. We will advocate for all European and international entities to avoid granting Azerbaijan these privileges while it continues to violate international human rights laws and conventions. 

We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank you for supporting our petition and urge you to keep sharing this updated version with your friends and family. We need to ensure our captives and POWs are not forgotten.

We appreciate your continued support for our cause. Please, stay in touch @https://www.facebook.com/FreeArmenianPOWsGlobal | IG @freearmenianpowsglobal | Twitter: @FreeArmenianPOW 

Sincerely, 

Free Armenian POWs Global Network
freearmenianpow@gmail.com