SHERMAN, DOLD AND PALLONE OFFER STATEMENTS MARKING SUMGAIT MASSACRES

asbarez
Monday, March 5th, 2012

Rep. Brad Sherman

WASHINGTON-The bipartisan Congressional spotlight on Azerbaijan’s
pogroms and massacres against ethnic Armenian civilians in Sumgait,
Kirovabad, and Baku continued to shine as Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA),
Robert Dold (R-IL), and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank
Pallone (D-NJ) added their voices to those marking the 24th anniversary
of these tragedy, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

Over the past month, ten Members of Congress have issued statements
on the pogroms including Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), the Co-Chairman of
the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA),
the Ranking Democrat of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and
Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Anna Eshoo
(D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Adam Schiff (D-CA). View Rep. Chu’s
speech on the House floor.

Rep. Robert Dold “Friends of Armenia and human rights advocates from
across America thank Congressmen Sherman, Dold, and Pallone for joining
with their U.S. House colleagues in marking the Sumgait, Kirovabad,
and Baku pogroms,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We
value their leadership in standing up to aggression – past and present
– and in working toward a future of peace and justice for the citizens
of Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, and all the countries of the Caucasus.”

Rep. Sherman opened his remarks, noting that, “On the evening of
February 27, 1988, Armenian civilians living in Sumgait, in Soviet
Azerbaijan, were violently targeted in a three-day rampage. Armenian
civilians were hunted down and brutally assaulted. Some were raped,
and some were burned alive at the hands of rioters.” He went on
to discuss the subsequent Azerbaijani attacks against Armenians in
Kirovabad and Baku, and noted that remembering is not enough. “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,”
stated Rep. Sherman, who went on to urge that “we must urge Azerbaijan
to cease all threats and acts of coercion against the Republic of
Nagorno Karabakh.” He also went on to call on the Administration to
“remove all barriers to broad-based U.S.-Nagorno Karabakh governmental
and civil society communication, travel, and cooperation.”

Rep. Pallone, in his statement, noted that “The need for the government
of Azerbaijan to fully recognize the Sumgait pogroms is not only in
the interest of historical accuracy but also necessary to ensure a
peaceful future. The just recognition of these crimes is the first
step towards an enduring and peaceful resolution of the regional
conflict. Stability in the region is needed now more than ever. The
specter of violence indeed still looms and many Armenian lives continue
to be subject to threats by the Azerbaijani government.

Ceasefire violations by Azerbaijani armed forces at the contact line
with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic have shown this to be true.” Rep.

Pallone then noted that “President Aliyev recently announced that
Azerbaijan is buying up modern weaponry to occupy the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic,” and went on to “condemn all intimidations and acts of
aggression against the Armenian people.”

Rep. Dold, for his part, cited the importance that we “not forget
the 24th anniversary of the tragic pogroms against Armenians living
in Soviet Azerbaijan.” He went on to note that “as we remember those
who lost their lives in Sumgait, we must continue to guard against
all discrimination, oppression, and targeted violence against ethnic
groups around the world.”

The complete texts of each Congressional statement are provided below.

Rep. Brad Sherman Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, this month marks the
24th anniversary of a dark chapter in modern history. During the
Nagorno-Karabakh War of 1988 to 1994, Armenian civilians were
indiscriminately attacked.

On the evening of February 27, 1988, Armenian civilians living in
Sumgait , in Soviet Azerbaijan, were violently targeted in a three-day
rampage. Armenian civilians were hunted down and brutally assaulted.

Some were raped, and some were burned alive at the hands of rioters.

Local police reportedly ignored repeated calls for help by Armenian
civilians. The official figure from Soviet authorities, who prohibited
journalists from entering the area, was just over 30 people dead
and over 200 injured. However, it is believed that more-perhaps
hundreds-were murdered by roving mobs.

The Sumgait Pogrom was, sadly, only the beginning.

Despite international condemnation of the pogrom in Sumgait , another
anti-Armenian pogrom occurred later that year in Kirovabad, Azerbaijan,
from November 21st to 27th Due to the brutality, the Armenians of
Kirovabad and the surrounding areas were forced to flee their homes.

Another crime against humanity occurred yet again from January 13th
to the 19th, in 1990. Members of the Armenian community of Baku, the
capital of Azerbaijan, were assaulted, tortured and killed again by
violent mobs.

I would like to commemorate the Armenian victims of the Sumgait ,
Kirovabad, and Baku massacres to honor the memory of the murdered, and
to stop future bloodshed. If we hope to stop future massacres, we must
acknowledge these horrific events and ensure they do not happen again.

We will not forget the ethnic-cleansing of the Armenians from
Azerbaijan.

But 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.

We must urge Azerbaijan to cease all threats and acts of coercion
against the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.

In 1992, Congress prohibited aid to Azerbaijan because of its
continuing blockade against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Unfortunately, Congress in 2001 approved a waiver to this provision
and administrations have used the waiver since then to provide aid to
Baku. 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.

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

We must reaffirm America’s commitment to an enduring, peaceful and
democratic resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Rep. Frank Pallone Rep, Frank Pallone Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, once
again this year I rise to mark an important date that remains strong
in the memories of the Armenian and American people. It is always
with great emotion that I commemorate the Sumgait pogroms where the
murder of hundreds of Armenians stood out as a particularly atrocious
event in a long history of hostility against the Armenian people. This
anniversary above all reminds us of our duty to act. Year after year,
it strengthens our determination to obtain justice and peace.

Beginning on the evening of February 27th, 1988, hundreds of Armenians
were brutally murdered, some of them burned alive and thrown from
windows. Women and children were raped and maimed by Azerbaijani
rioters. Apartments were robbed, shops demolished, and thousands of
people became refugees. Despite Sumgait’s proximity to Baku, police
turned a blind eye to this dire situation, allowing the pogroms to
go on for three days.

The truth is that for over two decades, authorities in Azerbaijan have
made relentless efforts to erase all traces of these crimes. This
state-sponsored denial is an insult to the memory of all men, women
and children who perished on those fateful days; it is a daily affront
to their descendants. The Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus is
resolutely committed to ensure that those Armenians who lost their
lives are not forgotten.

The need for the government of Azerbaijan to fully recognize the
Sumgait pogroms is not only in the interest of historical accuracy
but also necessary to ensure a peaceful future. The just recognition
of these crimes is the first step towards an enduring and peaceful
resolution of the regional conflict. Stability in the region is needed
now more than ever. The specter of violence indeed still looms and many
Armenian lives continue to be subject to threats by the Azerbaijani
government. Ceasefire violations by Azerbaijani armed forces at the
contact line with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic have shown this to be
true. President Aliyev recently announced that Azerbaijan is buying
up modern weaponry to occupy the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

I stand here today to solemnly condemn all intimidations and acts of
aggression against the Armenian people. The Congressional Armenian
Issues Caucus will do its very best to ensure that basic rights to
life, liberty and security are not violated. May the Armenian people
never have to fear again such attacks. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my
colleagues stand with me in recognizing the Sumgait pogroms and the
needless deaths of so many.

Rep. Robert Dold Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, this week it is important
that we not forget the 24th anniversary of the tragic pogroms against
Armenians living in Soviet Azerbaijan. Driven by the anti-Armenian
movement in the region, mobs committed violent human rights violations
against Armenians of all ages living in the town of Sumgait . Today,
I stand with the Armenian community around the world to remember all
those who were taken from their homes and from their families-simply
because of their ethnic background. As we remember those who lost
their lives in Sumgait , we must continue to guard against all
discrimination, oppression, and targeted violence against ethnic
groups around the world.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress