ARMENIA SHOULD INSTITUTE CRIMINAL CASE ON SOUMGAIT

DE FANCTO
Feb 26, 2008

YEREVAN, 26.02.08. DE FACTO. Armenia should institute a criminal case
on Soumgait over again. Moreover, a criminal case should be instituted
against Gorbachev – the main culprit of the Soumgait pogroms. Such an
opinion was expressed by Inessa Burkova, a Russian writer, member of
the Committee of Russian intelligentsia "Karabakh" ("KRIK") in the
course of an international conference "The Problems of Xenophobia
and Tolerancy in the Region of the South Caucasus" held February 25.

Inessa Burkova is convinced that the Armenian pogroms in Soumgait
were a premeditated action of the leadership of Azerbaijan and the
Soviet Union.

"Both the leadership of Azerbaijan and CPSS CC and General Secretary M.

Gorbachev himself were not only aware of preparations for pogroms
in Soumgait, but also participated in the organization of Armenians’
carnage in Soumgait".

According to "KRIK" activist, Gorbachev’s goal was to crush democracy
arising in Armenian SSR and Karabakh: "Soumgait has become an attempt
of bloody manifestation of democratic processes, which started in
Karabakh".

In Inessa Burkova’s words, a colossal material referring to the events
of those days has been gathered. She is convinced the material based
on the evidences of eye-witnesses and those, who suffered from pogroms,
should be used to call the culprits of the Soumgait tragedy to account.