Gabrielian – Henry case is the propaganda ploy: It clearly conveys the pro-Ukrainian and pro-Azerbaijani messages and sentiments on one hand, and the anti-Russian and anti-Armenian ones on another. This points to the original authors of this soap-operatic, trans-phobic drama. How witting or unwitting were their FBI partners? That’s the question. INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS!

“Azerbaijan and Ukraine officially consider each other “strategic partners” and have consistently supported each other’s territorial integrity and inviolability of their internationally-recognized borders,” writes Vasif Huseynov in this op-ed for commonspace.eu. “Azerbaijan’s support to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders exemplifies the country’s broader foreign policy principles. Having itself experienced invasion and ethnic cleansing by neighboring Armenia, Azerbaijan possesses a clear understanding and empathy for Ukraine’s current challenges,” he writes.

On 1 June, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan had a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the second gathering of the European Political Community in Chișinău, Moldova. It is noteworthy that President Aliyev was the only leader from the South Caucasus to meet with the Ukrainian President, which holds particular political significance in the context of Ukraine’s ongoing struggle against Russian invasion.

During their meeting, both leaders expressed mutual support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of their respective countries within their internationally recognized borders. One intriguing and quite symbolic aspect that drew observers’ attention was the use of English as the language of the meeting, despite the fact that both leaders are more comfortable speaking in Russian.

Azerbaijan and Ukraine officially consider each other “strategic partners” and have consistently supported each other’s territorial integrity and inviolability of their internationally-recognized borders. In January 2022, just a month before the full-scale invasion, and amidst the escalation of hostilities, President Aliyev was conspicuously the only leader from the post-Soviet space (excluding the Baltic States) who travelled to Kyiv, where he signed a number of agreements on deepening bilateral cooperation and declared his support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Hence, the latest meeting between the two leaders demonstrated Azerbaijan’s consistency in its support to Ukraine, despite all the pressure from the Russian side. According to the Azerbaijani government, Baku has provided around €20 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war. Azerbaijan’s state energy company, SOCAR, has been providing free fuel at its gas filling stations in Ukraine specifically for ambulances and vehicles operated by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS). Considering that there are more than 50 such stations of SOCAR in Ukraine, this assistance may have been important for the DSNS.

Azerbaijani humanitarian aid for Ukraine draws “bewilderment” from Moscow

Furthermore, Azerbaijan has extended its humanitarian support to Ukraine by sending various forms of aid, including medical supplies and clothing. Azerbaijan dispatched 45 power transformers and 50 generators to regions in Ukraine that were experiencing power shortages and lacked heating. Interestingly, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed “bewilderment” over Azerbaijan’s provision of transformers and generators, portraying them as military assistance to Ukraine. 

“Such a step on the part of Baku is puzzling. As part of a special military operation, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are destroying the critical infrastructure of Ukraine used by the Kyiv regime for military needs. Azerbaijani supplies, which are unlikely to fundamentally change the situation, do not amount to humanitarian aid,” a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said to  local media in December 2022. 

This reaction has, however, not stopped Azerbaijan from providing this support. In a recent act of solidarity, Azerbaijan provided humanitarian aid consisting of pumps, boats, protective suits and uniforms to mitigate the consequences of the collapse of the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant on 6 June.

In the course of the 1 June meeting, President Zelensky thanked the Azerbaijani leader for Baku’s assistance provided for the reconstruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure. “We highly appreciate Azerbaijan’s participation in the restoration of infrastructure facilities in Kyiv Oblast. We hope for assistance in the further reconstruction of Ukraine. In the post-war period, we look forward to Azerbaijan’s active participation in investment projects in Ukraine,” the country’s president said.

Increasing speculation that Armenia is helping Russia evade sanctions 

Along with providing humanitarian support to Ukraine, Azerbaijan has been one of the few countries in the entire post-Soviet space that has refused to help Russia evade Western sanctions. This approach by the Azerbaijani government, which is in line with the country’s overall support to Ukraine, appears in a stark contrast to that of some other former Soviet countries, including Armenia. 

For example, a latest international report reveals that “Armenia’s exports to Russia surged in 2022, at a staggering growth rate of 187% compared to the previous year. Moreover, over half of these exports were re-exports originating from third countries, adding fuel to speculation that Armenia is playing a key role in the rerouting of Western imports to Russia to avoid sanctions”. This is presented as the reason why the US has also identified Armenia as one of five countries that pose challenges in terms of evading sanctions. 

This situation forms a contradiction to the statement of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who tries to convince the Western public that “Armenia is not Russia’s ally in its war against Ukraine”. Some commentators explain Azerbaijan’s more independent standing in this present geopolitical context due to  the country’s resources and geographical position as a necessary link on both the Middle Corridor and on the international North-South Transportation Corridor.

Baku has never aligned its foreign policy with Russia, or joined Moscow-led integration projects

This analysis disregards the fact that Azerbaijan’s  balanced approach in foreign policy and independent stance against Russia’s regional ambitions date back to the mid-1990s. As opposed to Armenia, who joined Russia’s military and economic blocks decades ago and benefitted from the Russian support to maintain a some three-decade long occupation of 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory, Baku never aligned its foreign policy with that of Russia and avoided Moscow-led integration projects despite the Kremlin’s insistence and pressure. 

That said, Azerbaijan’s support to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders exemplifies the country’s broader foreign policy principles. Having itself experienced invasion and ethnic cleansing by neighboring Armenia, Azerbaijan possesses a clear understanding and empathy for Ukraine’s current challenges.

source: Dr Vasif Huseynov, is a Senior Advisor at the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) and Adjunct Lecturer at Khazar University in Baku, Azerbaijan.
photo: AzTV

The views expressed in opinion pieces and commentaries do not necessarily reflect the position of commonspace.eu or its partners

The U.S. Attorney’s Office plans to retry two Maryland doctors who are accused of obtaining and disclosing private medical records to an undercover FBI special agent they believed was a representative of the Russian government.

In a one-page court document filed on Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Zelinsky and P. Michael Cunningham informed U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher that the government is “prepared to proceed to retrial” against Anna Gabrielian, a former anesthesiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and her spouse, U.S. Army Maj. Jamie Lee Henry, a physician who had been stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, as soon as the court’s schedule permits.

Gabrielian, 37, and Henry, 40, both of Rockville, are charged with conspiracy and wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. Federal prosecutors allege that the couple abused their authority and leaked private medical records to help Russia.

The investigation started after Gabrielian sent an email offering assistance to the Russian Embassy on March 1, 2022.

The FBI special agent testified while wearing a “light disguise” and using the pseudonym of Lena Simon. The press and public were not permitted in the courtroom in the Edward A. Garmatz U.S. Courthouse during her testimony.

The government presented almost five hours of surreptitiously recorded videos.

Christopher Mead, Gabrielian’s attorney, and David Walsh-Little, Henry’s attorney, argued that their clients were humanitarians who wanted to save lives and did not act with the intent to commit the crimes. They also contended that the government entrapped their clients.

Gabrielian testified for hours in her own defense and admitted that she breached the confidentiality of her patients. But she said she thought she was dealing with a Russian intelligence agent and provided the medical records out of fear.

Both Gabrielian and Henry remain free but on 24-hour lockdown at their home except for approved activities.

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Anna Gabrielian, age 36, and her husband, Jamie Lee Henry, age 39, both of Rockville, Maryland, with conspiracy and for the disclosure of individually identifiable health information (“IIHI”), related to their efforts to assist Russia in connection with the conflict in Ukraine.  The indictment was returned on September 28, 2022 and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendants. 

Gabrielian is scheduled to have initial appearance at 11:30 a.m. today, in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brendan A. Hurson.  Henry is also expected to have an initial appearance today, although a time has not yet been set.  

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

As stated in the indictment, Gabrielian is an anesthesiologist and worked at Medical Institution 1, located in Baltimore, Maryland.  Henry, a Major in the United States Army, who held a Secret-level security clearance, is Gabrielian’s husband and a doctor.  During the time of the alleged conspiracy, Henry worked as a staff internist stationed at Fort Bragg, the home of the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, headquarters of the United States Army Special Operations Command, and the Womack Army Medical Center.

According to the eight-count indictment, Gabrielian and Henry conspired to cause harm to the United States by providing confidential health information of Americans associated with the United States government and military to Russia.  Specifically, the indictment alleges that beginning on August 17, 2022, Gabrielian and Henry conspired to provide IIHI related to patients at Medical Institution 1 and at Fort Bragg to an individual they believed to be working for the Russian government in order to demonstrate the level of Gabrielian’s and Henry’s access to IIHI of Americans; their willingness to provide IIHI to the Russian government; and the potential for the Russian government to gain insights into the medical conditions of individuals associated with the United States government and military in order to exploit this information.

Gabrielian and Henry met with an individual they believed to be associated with the Russian government, but who was, in fact, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Undercover Agent (“UC”), in order to convey to the UC their commitment to aid Russia, and to discuss ways in which they could help the Russian government.  Gabrielian told the UC that she had previously reached out to the Russian embassy by email and phone, offering Russia her and her husband’s assistance.  Gabrielian told the UC that, although Henry knew of Gabrielian’s interaction with the Russian Embassy, she never mentioned Henry’s name to the Russian Embassy.  Gabrielian wanted to make sure Henry could deny any knowledge of her actions.  On August 17, 2022, Gabrielian met with the UC at a hotel in Baltimore.  During that meeting, Gabrielian told the UC she was motivated by patriotism toward Russia to provide any assistance she could to Russia, even if it meant being fired or going to jail.  Gabrielian proposed potential cover stories for meeting the UC and stressed the need for “plausible deniability” in the event she was confronted by American authorities about meeting with the UC.  Gabrielian also told the UC that, as a military officer, Henry was currently a more important source for Russia than she was, because he had more helpful information, including how the United States military establishes an army hospital in war conditions and information about previous training provided by the United States military to Ukrainian military personnel.  Gabrielian arranged to meet with the UC and Henry later that evening.

At about 8:10 p.m. that evening, the indictment alleges that Gabrielian and Henry met with the UC in the UC’s hotel room.  During the meeting, Henry explained to the UC he was committed to assisting Russia and had looked into volunteering to join the Russian Army after the conflict in Ukraine began, but Russia wanted people with “combat experience” and he did not have any.  Henry further stated, “the way I am viewing what is going on in Ukraine now, is that the United States is using Ukrainians as a proxy for their own hatred toward Russia.”  Henry and Gabrielian allegedly offered to provide the UC with private medical records from the United States Army and Medical Institution 1 in order to help the Russian government.  During the same meeting, Gabrielian demanded that if she were put at significant risk of arrest, she wanted her and Henry’s children to, “have a nice flight to Turkey to go on vacation because I don’t want to end in jail here with my kids being hostages over my head.”  Henry also indicated that he was concerned about passing a background check for his security clearance, telling the UC, “I don’t want to know your name . . . because I want plausible deniability too.  In a security clearance situation they want to know names and people and all this stuff.”

As detailed in the indictment, a few days later Gabrielian and the UC again met at the hotel in Baltimore to discuss providing Army medical records to the UC.  Gabrielian told the UC that Henry was concerned about violating HIPAA, but Gabrielian had no such concerns.  Gabrielian stated that she would check with Henry about providing medical records from Fort Bragg patients and get back in touch.  The next day, Gabrielian sent a text to the UC, using coded language, to advise that Henry would provide Army medical records to the UC.  On August 31, 2022, Gabrielian and Henry allegedly met the UC at a hotel room in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  According to the indictment, Gabrielian provided the UC with IIHI related to two individuals, including the spouse of an employee of the Office of Naval Intelligence, whom Gabrielian pointed out had a medical condition Russia could “exploit.”  Henry also allegedly provided IIHI related to five individuals who were military veterans or related to military veterans.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy, and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each count of disclosing IIHI.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Army Counterintelligence for its collaboration  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, and its efforts to protect national security, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/anti-terrorism.

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