In Ukraine, New York, Netherlands Continue Events In Memory Of Victi

IN UKRAINE, NEW YORK, NETHERLANDS CONTINUE EVENTS IN MEMORY OF VICTIMS OF SUMGAIT POGROMS

20:58 28/02/2013 ” SOCIETY

In Ukraine, in New York, in Netherlands continue events dedicated to
the 25th anniversary of “Sumgait” massacres taken place on February
26-29 in 1988. Today Armenian youth organizations in Kiev and Odessa
have organized a number of events: panel discussions and screenings
of documentary films.

Yesterday in New York an event titled “Nagorno Karabakh: from Sumgait
memories to an independent state” was held.

The public organization “Armenian Center of programs development”
reports that the attendees of the event got acquainted with the first
exhibition devoted to the past and present of Artsakh, then watched
a documentary film “Ordinary Genocide. Sumgait 1988.”

In the Netherlands participants of the rally protested, holding
posters reading “Sumgait, Baku, Maragha, Kirovabad stop Azerbaijani
aggression,” “Self-determination for Nagorno-Karabakh,” “We will not
forget the Sumgait pogroms.”

On 26-29 February 1988 in terms of actual complicity of local
authorities and inaction of the USSR government mass pogroms
of civilians were organized in Sumgait city of Azerbaijani SSR,
accompanied with unprecedented brutal murders, violence and pillaging
against the Armenian population of the city. Armenian pogroms in
Sumgait were carefully organized. At the meetings, which began on
February 26 in the central square, city leaders openly called for
violence against the Armenians.

On February 27 protests which were attended by hundreds of rioters
turned into violence. Armed with axes, knives, specially sharpened
rebar, rocks and cans of gasoline and with the pre-compiled lists of
apartments where Armenians lived the rioters broke into the houses,
turning everything upside down there and killing the owners. In
the same time, people were often taken out to the streets or to the
courtyard for jeering at them publicly. After painful humiliations
and torture the victims were doused with gasoline and burnt alive.

On February 29 army troops entered Sumgait but without an order to
intervene. Only in the evening, when the mad crowd began to attack
the soldiers the military units took up decisive steps.

The exact number of victims of Sumgait pogroms is still unknown.

According to official data, 32 people were killed; however there
is ample evidence that several hundred Armenians have been killed
in the city in three days. There is also evidence that the riots
were coordinated by KGB in Azerbaijan. Executioners of Sumgait were
subsequently declared as national heroes of Azerbaijan.

Documentary “Ordinary Genocide: Sumgait 1988”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress