US Congress members urge Nigeria to release wrongfully detained Tigran Gambaryan

On July 10, 2024, US Congress members Rich McCormick and French Hill submitted a resolution to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The resolution calls for the immediate release of Tigran Gambaryan from imprisonment in Nigeria and outlines several urgent actions.

RELATED: Binance statement regarding Tigran Gambaryan

Key points of the resolution include:

1. Immediate Release: The resolution urges the Nigerian government to immediately release Tigran Gambaryan.
2. US Government Intervention: It calls for the United States to use all available resources to secure Tigran’s release and to raise his case in all interactions with the Nigerian government.
3. Formal Declaration: The resolution urges the US Government to formally declare Tigran Gambaryan as a “U.S. citizen wrongfully detained by a foreign government” under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act.
4. Consular Access: It demands that Nigeria provide full, unfettered, and consistent consular access to Tigran Gambaryan.
5. Medical Access: The resolution calls for Nigeria to provide unrestricted medical access to Tigran Gambaryan, ensuring he receives all necessary medical care.
6. Due Process and Human Rights: It urges Nigeria to ensure that Tigran Gambaryan and all other political prisoners receive their constitutionally afforded due process rights and universally recognized human rights.
7. Support for Family: The resolution expresses sympathy and solidarity with Tigran Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki Gambaryan, his family, and all other US citizens and lawful permanent residents wrongfully detained abroad.

The full text of the resolution can be found here.

Tigran’s wife, Yuki Gambaryan, released the following statement:

“I am deeply concerned about my husband’s declining health. I just want him home so he can get the proper medical care he desperately needs and so that he can heal. I appreciate Congressional focus on obtaining Tigran’s immediate release from custody in Nigeria and Representative McCormick’s continued attention to Tigran’s plight. I hope the US government’s involvement will expedite the process of getting him released. My husband is innocent, he is not a decision maker at Binance, and I hope the Nigerian authorities release him. I again respectfully urge the EFCC to follow the example set by their colleagues at the FIRS (tax authority) and drop these charges against Tigran. He needs to be freed right now.”