[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING VICTIMS OF THE MASS MURDER OF ARMENIANS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY C. PETERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2014

  Mr. PETERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise awareness 
of the mass murder of Armenians during the state-sponsored pogroms 26 
years ago in Sumgait, Azerbaijan. These ethnically motivated mass 
killings were an affront to basic human rights and the continued lack 
of international recognition and acknowledgment represents a grave 
injustice.
   Peaceful demonstrations by Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh, who sought 
freedom and protested against policies that discriminated against 
Armenians, were met with violence against the Armenians of Sumgait, who 
were hundreds of miles away, defenseless, and targeted simply because 
they were Armenians. Nearby security forces allowed the violence to 
continue unabated and turned a blind eye to the horrific violence 
directed against Armenian civilians. True democracies must respect the 
rights of the minority and the human rights of all residents.
   On July 27, 1988, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Amendment 2690, 
which called upon the Soviet government to ``respect the legitimate 
aspirations of the Armenian people'', and noted that ``dozens of 
Armenians have been killed and hundreds injured during the recent 
unrest.'' The U.S. Senate passed an amendment in July 1988, 
acknowledging that even the Soviet authorities had described these 
massacres as a `pogrom'.
   Today, I remember the victims and ask this body to join me in 
honoring their memories.

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