[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 35 (Monday, March 2, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE 27TH ANNIVERSARY OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE ARMENIAN 
                    COMMUNITY IN SUMGAIT, AZERBAIJAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. KATHERINE M. CLARK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 2, 2015

  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.

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