[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 30 (Monday, February 27, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMMEMORATING THE SUMGAIT POGROMS AGAINST AZERBAIJANI ARMENIANS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 27, 2012

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, February 27th marks the 24th anniversary of a 
violent and horrific attack against Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian 
descent. The 1988 attacks began in the town of Sumgait in Soviet 
Azerbaijan. Dozens of Armenians were killed, and hundreds more were 
wounded. During what even the Soviet government officially described as 
a ``pogrom''--an organized massacre of helpless people--Armenian women 
and children were raped, and people were set on fire and beaten to 
death, all while police stood by.
   Tragically, the events in Sumgait presaged further pogroms in 
Kirovabad in November of 1988 and Baku in January of 1990. This 
violence initiated a broader attack against Azerbaijan's Armenian 
population, resulting in thousands of deaths. The conflict persists 
today, and the Azeri military blockade of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic 
and other aggression sadly continues.
   For me, it is also a very personal remembrance. My own family fled 
the slaughter of the Armenian Genocide under the Ottomans, and when we 
learned of the massacres against Armenians in 1988, we saw history 
repeating itself. These vicious acts of murder targeted at ethnic 
groups, must be forcefully condemned whenever and wherever we see them. 
Yet 96 years after the slaughter of Armenians, the U.S. House of 
Representatives has yet to officially recognize the Armenian genocide.
   Without our recognition and our forceful condemnation, the cycle of 
violence will continue. Today, Christians and other minority groups are 
being driven from Iraq by extremists, and the once large and diverse 
ethnic communities are being eradicated. Without our attention and 
action by the world community, there will be no end to this senseless 
violence around the world.
   Today, let us remember the Armenians who lost their lives in 
Azerbaijan in 1988, and pray that the world will finally take greater 
account of these atrocities and work together. Let us take up the work 
that our principles demand of us, standing united against ethnic 
violence, discrimination, extremism and brutality, wherever we find it.

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