[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H1020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       REMEMBERING THE BAKU POGROMS THAT TOOK PLACE 30 YEARS AGO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Speier) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the Baku pogroms, 
which took place in January 1990, some 30 years ago. The Baku pogroms 
represented the culmination of years of atrocities by the Azeris 
against ethnic Armenians living in Azerbaijani communities, such as 
Sumgait and Kirovobad.
  Time and time again, Armenians fell victim to their neighbors, as 
gangs of Azeris roamed the streets, smashed windows, burned cars, and 
attacked any Armenians they found. The gangs murdered and mutilated 
some women and repeatedly raped others.
  In Baku, the pattern held, as looters destroyed property and tortured 
the murdered victims. Thousands of Armenians fled the systemic 
violence, world chess champion Gary Kasparov's family counted among 
them.
  Mr. Speaker, Azerbaijan was engaged in a systemic effort to erase 
this history and silence those who repeat it. I rise today so that they 
cannot succeed.
  The history of this violence is one of the many reasons I believe 
that residents of Nagorno-Karabakh or Artsakh should be allowed to live 
in peace, freedom, and security. The United States has a crucial role 
to play in promoting this outcome.
  For decades, U.S. aid has helped clear mines in Artsakh, saving 
lives, promoting development, and giving communities a sense of 
normalcy. Today, even though the work is not done, that aid is 
threatened.
  Today, even though Armenia and Artsakh have embraced the Royce-Engel 
peace proposal, while Azerbaijan has rejected it, Artsakh could lose 
the mining assistance. And today, even though Armenia has transformed 
itself into a growing democracy, it is autocratic Azerbaijan that has 
received a massive, disproportion increase in military aid from the 
United States.
  If the administration won't help those who stand for peace and 
democracy, Congress must. The legacy of Baku, Sumgait, and Kirovobad 
remind me why. We must fight for the memories of those we lost, for 
their dreams of safety and security, and for the promise of a free 
Artsakh.

                          ____________________