SUMGAIT MUST BE CONDEMNED NOT TO REPEAT
Laura Grigorian

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
March 5 2007

On February 28 the ARF Dashnaktsutyun’s Youth Union of Artsakh held
an event at the central office of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun in Artsakh
to mark the February 1988 tragedy in Sumgait. The representative of
the ARF YUA released the statement by the youth organizations of
Artsakh on the initiative of the YUA and the students union Aram
Manukian, which condemns the atrocities committed February 27-29,
1988 in Sumgait. The youth organizations demands that the international
community define the atrocities in 1988-1990 in Azerbaijan as genocide
and condemn it. "We must do our duty and reach the condemnation of the
events of 1988-1990, and by recalling our tragedy in the late 20th
century we will prevent new crimes against the humanity. Hopefully,
once the international community gives an adequate evaluation of
those events it will become intolerant of other such crimes once and
for all." "We demand the restoration of the rights of the Armenians
displaced from Sumgait, Baku and other places in Azerbaijan. If our
demand is met, it will foster stability and peace in the region,"
runs the statement. The statement will be sent to the embassies of the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, the UN office in Armenia, the legations
of other countries and NGOs.