[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 35 (Thursday, March 3, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE ANNIVERSARY OF POGROMS AGAINST ARMENIANS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 3, 2016

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the twenty-eighth 
anniversary of the pogroms against people of Armenian descent in 
Sumgait, Azerbaijan.
  Peaceful demonstrations descended into chaos when Azerbaijani rioters 
attacked Armenian men and women advocating for democracy on February 
27, 1988. After three days of unspeakable violence, hundreds of 
Armenians lost their lives and thousands more no longer had a place to 
call home.
  Undeterred by Soviet oppression, the Armenian community and its 
dedication to democratic self-determination sparked a movement that 
finally helped bring an end to the dictatorship of the Soviet Union. 
The courage demonstrated by the Armenian people of Nagorno Karabakh in 
demanding their rights even after all of the adversity is admirable and 
should never be forgotten.
  Today, authoritarian leaders in Azerbaijan continue to aggravate 
efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group to achieve lasting peace in Nagorno 
Karabakh and the surrounding region. This ancient Christian land has 
borne witness to several crimes against humanity over the years, and I 
have hope the United States will take on its moral responsibility to 
ensure the people of Armenia do not live in fear.
  On behalf of the thousands of Armenian Americans living in my 
congressional district, I invite my colleagues to stand with me and the 
proud people of Nagorno Karabakh in remembering the lives lost and 
reinvigorating our commitment to freedom and democracy.

                          ____________________