Victims of Sumgayit commemorated in Armenia
28.02.2009 16:12

Alisa Gevorgyan
"Radiolur"

From February 26 to 28 the Azerbaijani authorities organized a massacre
of local Armenians in the city of Sumgayit. The cruel killings and
violations against the peaceful population and robbery were a response
to the legal-constitutional process of self-determination initiated by
Karabakh Armenians. Sumgayit was the continuation of the ethnic
cleansings that started at the turn of the 20th century and continued
into Soviet times. The crime committed 21 years ago was aimed at
silencing the fair demand of the Arsakhi Armenians and show that it
could have bloody consequences. Even 21 years after the massacre, it
has not been properly assessed by the international community.

At the initiative of the Supreme Body of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun tribute
was paid to the memory of Sumgayit victims at Tsitsernakaberd today.

According to member of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun, MP Armen Rustamyan, the
sacred struggle for the international recognition of Nagorno Karabakh
should be carried through. `Azerbaijan managed to use the
non-punishment for turning the events upside down, presenting the
victim as an aggressor. Nagorno Karabakh should achieve its right for
self-determination and Azerbaijan cannot avoid it. The international
community should realize and respect the independence of Nagorno
Karabakh. Parallel to the talks it is necessary to realize the process
0Aof international recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,’ Armen
Rustamyan stated.

According to writer and publisher Zori Balayan, the events in Sumgayit
have not been properly assessed, and if things continue this way, the
younger generation will forget the historic events and will not
remember about a number of lost territories. `We cannot forget about
these events event for a single day,’ he said.