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Senate And House Members Condemn Sumgait, Baku Massacres

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  • Senate And House Members Condemn Sumgait, Baku Massacres

    SENATE AND HOUSE MEMBERS CONDEMN SUMGAIT, BAKU MASSACRES

    Monday, March 9th, 2015

    Senator Gary Peters; Representatives Judy Chu, Katherine Clark, Jim
    Costa, Robert Dold, Frank Pallone, Adam Schiff, and Brad Sherman
    commemorated the 27th anniversary of the Sumgait pogroms against
    Armenians.

    Senator Gary Peters; Representatives Katherine Clark, Jim Costa,
    Robert Dold, Frank Pallone, Adam Schiff, and Brad Sherman are the
    Latest to Speak Out on Ongoing Azerbaijani Aggression Against Armenia
    and Nagorno Karabakh

    WASHINGTON--Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) was joined by Congressional
    Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Robert Dold (R-IL)
    and Representatives Katherine Clark (D-MA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Adam
    Schiff (D-CA), and Brad Sherman (D-CA) in commemorating the brutal
    massacres of Armenians in the Azerbaijani cities of Baku, Sumgait
    and Kirovabad from 1988-1990 and condemning the ongoing violence and
    intimidation fostered by the government of President Ilham Aliyev,
    reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). They add
    their voices to Rep. Judy Chu, who was the first to offer impassioned
    remarks on the topic on the House floor last week.

    "Armenian Americans from Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey,
    and California and across America thank these bold legislators for
    adding their voices to those of their Congressional colleagues in
    commemorating the Azerbaijani government fomented pogroms against
    the Armenian populations of Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad," stated
    ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Their powerful words help
    commemorate the lives of those who were lost, while also helping to
    protect those who survived - by both condemning Azerbaijan's ongoing
    aggression and supporting the freedom and security of the Nagorno
    Karabakh Republic."

    "I wish to recognize the victims of the mass murder of Armenians 27
    years ago during the state-sponsored pogroms in Sumgait, Azerbaijan,"
    began Senator Peters. "True democracies must respect the rights of
    the minority, allow citizens to peacefully speak freely, and protect
    the human rights of all residents. The people of Nagorno Karabakh
    and the victims of this senseless massacre played a critical role in
    promoting a democracy movement which helped to end the Soviet Union."

    Congressman Pallone explained, "We have a shared responsibility to
    speak out when groups of people are targeted with oppression and
    violence just because of their ethnicity. Along with my colleagues
    on the Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus, I continue my efforts
    to try and shed light on these events so that those lives lost are
    not forgotten. We will continue to promote mutual understanding and
    security through the Caucasus region. It is my hope that we can all
    join together in condemning acts of violence in the past, and renew
    our commitment to vigilance in the future."

    In a statement shared with the ANCA, Rep. Dold noted, "The massacres
    that took place 27 years ago in Sumgait serve as a reminder of the
    struggle for freedom and liberty around the world. Today I stand
    in solidarity with the Armenian community and the people of Nagorno
    Karabakh who mourn the loss of friends and family. The United States
    must continue to work with the people of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh
    to ensure their future safety and peace."

    Congressman Schiff reminded his colleagues of Pres. Ilham Aliyev's
    pardon and praise for the killer of an innocent Armenian soldier in
    his sleep. "Time has not healed the wounds of those killed and hurt
    in the pogroms in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku. To the contrary,
    hatred of Armenians is celebrated in Azeri society, a situation most
    vividly exemplified by the case of Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani army
    captain who savagely murdered an Armenian army lieutenant, Gurgen
    Margaryan with an axe while he slept. The two were participating in a
    NATO Partnership for Peace exercise at the time in Hungary. In 2012,
    Safarov was sent home to Azerbaijan, purportedly to serve out the
    remainder of his sentence. Instead, he was pardoned, promoted, and
    paraded through the streets of Baku in a sickening welcome home. And as
    we speak, Azerbaijan continues its dangerous and provocative behavior
    along its border with Armenia and in Karabakh."

    "I am proud to stand today with the Armenian-American community,
    including many of my constituents in Massachusetts, in remembrance
    and mourning of this unspeakable tragedy," stated Rep. Clark. "Like
    the persecution of too many others before it, the lessons of the
    Sumgait Pogrom must not be forgotten. We have a moral obligation to
    promote tolerance and justice, and we have a duty to recognize the
    atrocities that have kept us from our common goal."

    Reminding colleagues of Azerbaijan's ongoing attacks on Armenia and
    Nagorno Karabakh, Rep. Costa stated, "In November 2014, Azerbaijani
    armed forces shot down a Nagorno-Karabakh helicopter participating
    in a training exercise near the cease-fire line, killing the three
    crew members on board. This aggression is completely unacceptable and
    further hurts efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution. Today, I ask
    my colleagues to stand with the proud people of Nagorno Karabakh in
    recognizing the anniversary of these tragic events. Let today serve
    as a reminder for each and every one of us to continue advocating
    for human rights and democratic freedoms around the world."

    Congressman Sherman noted his meeting last month with Marat
    Khoudabakhshiev, "whose family barely survived pogroms perpetrated
    27 years ago today against the Armenian residents of then-Soviet
    Azerbaijan. He recounted how Azerbaijanis who had lived alongside
    Armenians for generations suddenly turned violent against them,
    causing Armenian families like his to flee their homes for safety."

    Rep. Sherman explained, "Recognizing the ethnic-cleansing of the
    Armenians from Azerbaijan is an important step. However, we need to
    do more-we need to demonstrate to Azerbaijan that the United States is
    committed to peace and to the protection of Artsakh from coercion. As
    the current government of Azerbaijan grows even more hostile towards
    Armenians, we must call for an end to all threats and acts of violence
    by Azerbaijan's government against the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.

    Congress should strengthen Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act by
    removing the President's ability to waive U.S. law prohibiting aid
    to Azerbaijan because of its continuing blockade against Armenia and
    Nagorno Karabakh."

    Khoudabakhshiev was part of a delegation of survivors of anti-Armenian
    attacks in Baku, who travelled to Washington, DC last month to share
    their eye-witness accounts with legislators and speak out in support
    Artsakh independence. In addition to Congressional meetings, the
    delegation participated in the ANCA sponsored Capitol Hill program,
    titled: "Nagorno Karabakh - A Generation After Anti-Armenian Pogroms:
    The Challenge of Promoting Peace and Developing Democracy," which
    featured powerful remarks by Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, a lawyer,
    lecturer, and author of 'Nowhere, A Story of Exile,' and Dr. Alina
    Dorian, an internationally respected public health expert and advocate
    who has worked for decades to strengthen and expand public health
    programs in Nagorno Karabakh.

    The full text of statements submitted for the Congressional Record
    commemorating the Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad pogroms are provided
    below.

    Senator Gary Peters (D-MI): Madam President, I wish to recognize
    the victims of the mass murder of Armenians 27 years ago during the
    state-sponsored pogroms in Sumgait, Azerbaijan.

    The citizens of Nagorno Karabakh peacefully petitioned to be
    reunited with Soviet Armenia and spoke out against the arbitrary
    borders established by Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union. This
    democratic exercise of free speech expressing a natural desire for
    self-determination was met with 3 days of violence and brutality
    against Armenian civilians, who were hunted down in their homes.

    Security forces in Soviet Azerbaijan turned a blind eye, allowing the
    mass murder of Armenians in a futile attempt to defeat this movement.

    The massacres of Armenians did not stop in Sumgait but were followed
    in other Azerbaijani towns such as Kirovabad in November 1988 and the
    capital Baku in January 1990. The U.S. Congress strongly condemned
    these massacres at that time. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians
    fled Azerbaijan, many finding their home in my State of Michigan,
    where there is a monument to the victims of the Sumgait massacres.

    True democracies must respect the rights of the minority, allow
    citizens to peacefully speak freely, and protect the human rights of
    all residents. The people of Nagorno Karabakh and the victims of this
    senseless massacre played a critical role in promoting a democracy
    movement which helped to end the Soviet Union.

    Today, I remember the victims and ask my colleagues and the
    Americanpeople to join me in honoring their memories.

    Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA): Mr. Speaker, Twenty-seven years ago,
    as the lines of the Soviet Union were fading, the people of
    Nagorno-Karabakh were united in a call for a say in their own futures
    and greater independence from Azerbaijan. This peaceful movement
    for self-determination and freedom was followed by premeditated and
    government-sponsored attacks.

    Over the next two years, the Armenian population in the territory of
    Artsakh was repeatedly victim to brutal and racially motivated pogroms,
    darkly reminiscent of the days of the Armenian Genocide.

    Hundreds were murdered, thousands were displaced, and the Armenian
    community - both in Artsakh and in exile - continues to bear the
    scars from the brutal attacks in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku.

    When the people of Nagorno-Karabakh officially declared independence
    on December 10, 1991, they were met with full-scale war lasting until
    1994. Even today, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are still forced to
    live under constant ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan.

    As we commemorate the somber anniversary marking the struggle of the
    Nagorno-Karabakh people, we wish for the peaceful resolution of this
    conflict and hope that its citizens will be free to determine their
    own future.

    Rep. Catherine Clark (D-MA): Mr. Speaker, February 27 marked the 27th
    anniversary of harrowing violence against the Armenian community in
    Sumgait, Azerbaijan.

    I am proud to stand today with the Armenian-American community,
    including many of my constituents in Massachusetts, in remembrance
    and mourning of this unspeakable tragedy.

    In February of 1988, anti-Armenian rallies through Azerbaijan gave way
    to waves of ethnically-motivated violence, death and destruction. In
    the aftermath of these terrible events, Azerbaijan's Armenian community
    all but disappeared, with thousands displaced, culminating in a war
    against the people of Nagorno Karabakh.

    That war resulted in almost 30,000 dead on both sides. Hundreds of
    thousands of refugees were forced to flee their homes. And to this
    day, those who lost their lives or were displaced by this violence
    still seek resolution and justice.

    Many displaced Armenian families have sought refuge in America,
    and are now making vital contributions in the Fifth District of
    Massachusetts. Proudly, our diverse District is home to one of the
    largest Armenian communities in the nation. Together, our community
    is a thriving example of strength and perseverance in the face of
    extreme adversity.

    Like the persecution of too many others before it, the lessons of
    the Sumgait Pogrom must not be forgotten.

    We have a moral obligation to promote tolerance and justice, and we
    have a duty to recognize the atrocities that have kept us from our
    common goal.

    Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA): Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the
    twenty-seventh anniversary of the pogroms against people of Armenian
    descent in Sumgait, Azerbaijan. My district is home to thousands of
    Armenian-Americans, many who are the sons and daughters of survivors.

    As they know well, Azerbaijani rioters started a murderous rampage
    in response to peaceful protests on February 27, 1988, that forever
    changed Armenia. During those three days, scores of Armenians were
    killed, hundreds were wounded, and thousands were forced to leave
    their homes and livelihoods behind.

    As we recognize this tragedy, we should also take this time to commend
    the people of Nagorno Karabakh on being the first to demand their
    right to freedom and self-governance from the Soviet Union. Although
    a small nation, Nagorno Karabakh sparked the democracy movement that
    ended decades of dictatorial rule in the USSR and eventually led to
    the fall of the Soviet Union.

    Sadly, the Azerbaijani government continues to act as an aggressor
    today. In November 2014, Azerbaijani armed forces shot down a
    Nagorno-Karabakh helicopter participating in a training exercise near
    the cease-fire line, killing the three crew members on board. This
    aggression is completely unacceptable and further hurts efforts to
    achieve a peaceful resolution.

    Today, I ask my colleagues to stand with the proud people of Nagorno
    Karabakh in recognizing the anniversary of these tragic events. Let
    today serve as a reminder for each and every one of us to continue
    advocating for human rights and democratic freedoms around the world.

    Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ): Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the
    Sumgait pogroms-violent riots that resulted in the murder of hundreds
    of Armenians. This was perhaps one of the most gruesome atrocities in a
    series of hostile acts against the Armenian people. In 1988, Armenians
    living in the town of Sumgait in Azerbaijan were burned alive, thrown
    from windows and senselessly murdered by Azerbaijanis. Hundreds
    of people were killed, raped, and maimed simply because they were
    Armenians.

    The police forces turned a blind eye towards the situation and allowed
    the crimes to continue for three days without intervention. Since then,
    Azerbaijan has sought to cover up these crimes and rewrite history.

    As we prepare to observe 100 years since the Armenian Genocide,
    these more recent acts of violence against Armenians remind us that
    the work towards peace in the region continues.

    Today, we recognize the anniversary of the Sumgait pogroms and to
    call attention to the work we have ahead of us. We have a shared
    responsibility to speak out when groups of people are targeted with
    oppression and violence just because of their ethnicity.

    Along with my colleagues on the Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus,
    I continue my efforts to try and shed light on these events so that
    those lives lost are not forgotten. We will continue to promote mutual
    understanding and security through the Caucasus region.

    It is my hope that we can all join together in condemning acts
    of violence in the past, and renew our commitment to vigilance in
    the future.

    Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA): Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the
    27th anniversary of the pogrom against the Armenian residents of the
    town of Sumgait, Azerbaijan. On this day in 1988, and for three days
    following, Azerbaijani mobs assaulted and killed Armenians. When the
    violence finally subsided, hundreds of Armenian civilians had been
    brutally murdered and injured, women and young girls were raped, and
    some victims were tortured and burned to death. Those that survived
    the carnage fled their homes and businesses, leaving behind all but
    the clothes on their backs. The Sumgait Pogroms came in the wake of
    a pattern of anti-Armenian rallies throughout Azerbaijan, aided and
    encouraged by high ranking officials in the Azeri government, and
    touched off a wave of violence culminating in the 1990 Pogroms in Baku.

    In a pattern all too familiar to the Armenian people, the Azerbaijani
    authorities made little effort to punish those responsible, instead
    attempting to cover up the atrocities in Sumgait to this day, as well
    as denying the role of senior government officials in instigating
    the violence.

    The Sumgait massacres led to wider reprisals against Azerbaijan's
    Armenian ethnic minority, resulting in the virtual disappearance of a
    once thriving population of 450,000 Armenians living in Azerbaijan,
    and culminating in the war launched against the people of Nagorno
    Karabakh. That war resulted in thousands dead on both sides and
    created over one million refugees in both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

    Time has not healed the wounds of those killed and hurt in the pogroms
    in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku. To the contrary, hatred of Armenians
    is celebrated in Azeri society, a situation most vividly exemplified
    by the case of Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani army captain who savagely
    murdered an Armenian army lieutenant, Gurgen Margaryan with an axe
    while he slept. The two were participating in a NATO Partnership for
    Peace exercise at the time in Hungary. In 2012, Safarov was sent home
    to Azerbaijan, purportedly to serve out the remainder of his sentence.

    Instead, he was pardoned, promoted, and paraded through the streets
    of Baku in a sickening welcome home. And as we speak, Azerbaijan
    continues its dangerous and provocative behavior along its border
    with Armenia and in Karabakh.

    Mr. Speaker, this April we will mark the 100th Anniversary of the
    Armenian Genocide, an event the Turkish government, Azerbaijan's
    closest ally, goes to great lengths to deny. We must not let such
    crimes against humanity go unrecognized, whether they occurred
    yesterday or 27 years ago or 100 years ago. Today, let us pause to
    remember the victims of the atrocities of the Sumgait pogroms. Mr.

    Speaker, it is our moral obligation to condemn crimes of hatred and
    to remember the victims, in hope that history will not be repeated.

    Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA): Mr. Speaker, earlier this month I met with
    a constituent, Marat Khoudabakhshiev, whose family barely survived
    pogroms perpetrated 27 years ago today against the Armenian residents
    of then-Soviet Azerbaijan. He recounted how Azerbaijanis who had
    lived alongside Armenians for generations suddenly turned violent
    against them, causing Armenian families like his to flee their homes
    for safety.

    Over three days, February 26th to 28th, 1988, a pogrom was perpetrated
    against the Armenian residents of Sumgait in then-Soviet Azerbaijan.

    Armenians were attacked and killed in their apartments and on the
    streets. Although official figures reported 30 deaths, it is believed
    that hundreds were murdered and injured as a result of the pogrom.

    The violence against the Armenians in Sumgait was prompted by a vote,
    which took place one week prior by the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh,
    to unify the region with Armenia-the beginning of the Karabakh
    movement. In the days immediately after this vote Azeri civilians
    and local officials in the city of Sumgait held rallies calling for
    "death to Armenians".

    On the night of February 27, 1988, Armenian residents in Sumgait were
    targeted and indiscriminately raped, mutilated and murdered. Calls for
    help from Armenians were ignored by local police and city officials.

    Journalists were shut out from the area. The violence raged on for
    three days before Soviet troops were able to put an end to the pogrom.

    Witnesses of the horrific massacres later testified that the attacks
    were planned, as civilians had gathered weapons and the exits of the
    cities were blocked in advance to prevent Armenians from escaping. The
    homes of Armenians were marked so that the Azeri mobs could easily
    target them.

    Unfortunately, the perpetrators of the pogrom succeeded in their
    ultimate goal-driving out Armenians. Fearing more violence, Armenian
    families fled Sumgait. Later that year, another anti-Armenian pogrom
    occurred in Kirovabad, Azerbaijan from November 21st to 27th, which
    also forced hundreds of Armenians to flee the region. In January of
    1990 violent mobs targeted the Armenian community of Azerbaijan's
    capital, Baku.

    This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the commemoration of
    the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian Genocide. It is
    imperative that we honor the memory of Armenians killed in the pogroms
    of Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku, as well as the Armenian Genocide. If
    we hope to stop future massacres, we must acknowledge these horrific
    events and ensure they do not happen again.

    Recognizing the ethnic-cleansing of the Armenians from Azerbaijan is
    an important step. However, we need to do more-we need to demonstrate
    to Azerbaijan that the United States is committed to peace and to
    the protection of Artsakh from coercion. As the current government
    of Azerbaijan grows even more hostile towards Armenians, we must
    call for an end to all threats and acts of violence by Azerbaijan's
    government against the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.

    Congress should strengthen Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act
    by removing the President's ability to waive U.S. law prohibiting
    aid to Azerbaijan because of its continuing blockade against
    Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. In 1992, Congress prohibited aid to
    Azerbaijan because of its continuing blockade against Armenia and
    Nagorno Karabakh. However, in 2001, Congress approved a waiver to
    this provision, and administrations have used the waiver since then
    to provide aid to Baku. Azerbaijan should not be provided aid from
    the United States as long as they continue a policy of threats and
    blockades against Artsakh.

    I urge the Administration to remove all barriers to broad-based
    U.S.-Nagorno Karabakh governmental and civil society communication,
    travel and cooperation.

    http://asbarez.com/132832/senate-and-house-members-condemn-sumgait-baku-massacres/

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