in Armenian – https://aga-tribunal.info/en/artsakh-20-1-2017-hy/

in Russian – https://aga-tribunal.info/artsakh-20-1-2017/

Statement of the standing committee of foreign relations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh on the 29th anniversary of pogroms of Armenian population in Sumgait

February 28, 2017

Source

From 27 to 29 February, 1988 in the city of Sumgait of Azerbaijan SSR the Azerbaijani authorities committed pre-planned and organized mass pogroms of Armenian population. Taking the advantage of permissiveness and using all possible means of cruelty, the perpetrators brutally killed and tortured dozens of Armenians; more than 20 000 people of Armenian nationality were subjected to violence and looting in the city built by them.

The horrible massacre committed by Azerbaijan in Sumgait was the continuation of the Turkish policy of the early 20^th century aimed at the annihilation of Armenians in their homeland. This time it was a response to the decision of the NKAO Council of February 20, 1988 to transfer the region from Azerbaijan SSR to Armenian SSR.

Taking advantage of inaction of the Soviet authorities and trying to prevent the exercise of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, Azerbaijan continued its anti-Armenian policy extending the wave of genocide in other cities of Azerbaijan SSR, particularly in November 1988 in Kirovabad and January 1990 in Baku.

The civilized world is still silent and has not given an adequate assessment to these atrocities yet. Moreover, the authoritarian government of Azerbaijan is consistently implementing anti-Armenian policy taking advantage of the passive behavior of the international community. The obvious consequence of this are the military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan in April 2016 against the population of Artsakh, the  blatant violations of international law; and tortures used against the civilian population.

On these days, the international community`s attitude of putting an equality sign between the parties allows the Azerbaijani side to periodically violate the ceasefire regime and incite military provocations on the Karabakh-Azerbaijan border.

Honoring the memory of innocent Armenians fell victims to the pogroms and forcible expulsion, demanding the restoration of their violated rights and condemning any manifestation of xenophobia, extremism and terrorism, the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh:

• claims that the Sumgait pogroms are fully consistent with the legal formulation of the crime of genocide defined in the  UN “Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide” of 1948;
• reaffirms the determination of the National Assembly of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic to pursue a consistent policy of bringing the organizers and perpetrators of the genocide of Azerbaijani Armenians to responsibility under international law;
• calls on the international community and parliamentary institutions of all countries to condemn the mass pogroms of Armenians in Sumgait giving them an adequate legal assessment.

28, February 2017

Stepanakert