WASHINGTON: HON. KATHERINE M. CLARK OF MASSACHUSETTS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2015
US Official News
March 3, 2015 Tuesday
Washington
The Library of Congress, The Government of USA has issued the
following Speech:
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. 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.
From: A. Papazian