[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 26 (Friday, February 26, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ANNIVERSARY OF THE SUMGAIT MASSACRES AGAINST AZERBAIJANI CITIZENS OF 
                           ARMENIAN HERITAGE

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                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 26, 2010

  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, this Sunday will mark the anniversary of 
the tragic massacres that took place against Azerbaijani citizens of 
Armenian heritage in February of 1988, in the town of Sumgait, 
Azerbaijan. This 3-day rampage, carried out by Azerbaijani nationals, 
left dozens of Armenians dead, a majority of whom were set on fire 
alive after being beaten and tortured. Hundreds of innocent people 
received injuries of different severity and became physically impaired. 
Women, among them minors, were abused. More than 200 apartments were 
robbed, dozens of cars were destroyed and burned, dozens of art and 
crafts studios, shops and kiosks were demolished, and thousands of 
people became refugees.
  Madam Speaker, these crimes were never adequately prosecuted by the 
Government of Azerbaijan, and most of its organizers and executors were 
simply set free, many of whom are presently members of the Azeri 
Parliament. Despite the attempt by the Government of Azerbaijan to 
cover up these crimes, enough brave witnesses came forward to give an 
accurate account of the offenses.
  The Sumgait massacres are just another in a long line of Azerbaijan's 
aggressions against the Armenian people. The events in Sumgait were 
preceded by a wave of anti-Armenian rallies that shook the city in 
February 1988. Almost the entire territory of the city, with a 
population of 250,000, became an arena for mass violence against its 
Armenian population.
  The attacks also marked the beginning of a larger campaign of ethnic 
cleansing targeting the Armenian people, culminating in the war 
launched against the people of Nagorno Karabakh. The war claimed nearly 
30,000 lives and left over one million refugees in both Armenia and 
Azerbaijan. The continued hostilities in Azerbaijan and the military 
aggression against the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh in 1992 through 
1994 led to the disappearance of a 450,000-strong Armenian community in 
Azerbaijan within a span of just a few years. As this April marks the 
95th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we also pause to remember 
the crimes committed in Sumgait and the pogroms conducted against the 
Armenian people in Azerbaijan.
  Madam Speaker, this anniversary reminds us yet again of the 
historical injustice the Armenian people have faced, unfortunately, 
throughout their history. As we join with the Armenian people and all 
people of goodwill in remembering these atrocities, I strongly urge 
Azerbaijan and Turkey to cease their blockade and aggressive posture 
against the Armenian people and work to achieve a lasting peace. It is 
time for the United States to do all that it can and to use its 
geopolitical influence to send a message that ethnically charged 
genocides, illegal blockades of sovereign nations and the constant 
harassment of the Armenian people will not be tolerated.

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