Cher pens op-ed for ‘Newsweek’ calling for help protecting Armenians against “murderous regimes”

Cher and Eric Esrailian; JC Olivera/Getty Images for ABA

Cher is a proud Armenian-American and is using her “political capital,” as she puts it, to call for the U.S. government to come to the aid of Armenians who are currently under attack in Western Asia.

Cher has written an op-ed for Newsweek in partnership with her friend Eric Esrailian, an Armenian-American doctor, humanitarian and film producer. Called “You Cannot Erase Us,” it describes how the people of Armenia and the breakaway state of Artsakh, an ancestral Armenian homeland, are “enduring a brutal campaign” that threatens over 120,000 people.

Armenia and the neighboring country of Azerbaijan are fighting over Artsakh, with Azerbaijan blockading the only road between the two areas, cutting off delivery of food and supplies.

Azerbaijan has also destroyed some of the area’s holiest Christian sites, according to the op-ed. Cher and Esrailian describe the country’s actions as “a campaign of ethnic cleansing,” and a barbaric and “brazen attempt at cultural erasure.” According to the op-ed, hatred toward Armenians is formally taught to children in Azerbaijan.

“We will keep sharing our stories, helping our brothers and sisters in our homeland, and providing support to protect our sacred structures,” Cher and Esrailian write.

“In turn, we ask our political leaders in the United States, and the people of the world who care about justice and decency, to boycott and sanction these murderous regimes, to cut off the incessant flow of money to them, and to apply more consistent standards when it comes to championing human rights.”

Recently, Cher and Esrailian teamed up with Metal Alchemy, a jewelry line owned by an Armenian-American, to create and sell bracelets whose proceeds will go toward restoring Armenian holy sites.