STATEMENT BY THE NETWORK OF CIVIL SOCIETY "REFUGEES AND INTERNATIONAL LAW"

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16:02:37 – 25/02/2010

The statement by the Network of civil society "Refugees and
International Law" in connection with the 22 anniversary of Sumgait
massacres runs that "The investigation has established that during the
riots in Sumgait 32 people were killed, more than four hundred were
injured, attacked and plundered about two hundred apartments, damaged
more than fifty objects of cultural and community purpose, and more
than forty units of motor vehicles, some of which were burned. State
got a damage of 7 million rubles. In the crimes hundreds of citizens,
mainly of Azeri nationality were involved", this is a quotation from
the indictment by the Prosecutor of the Azerbaijan SSR EA Ismailov of
a criminal case in relation to Sumgait massacres. The indictment aimed
to conceal the true scale of the tragedy and let get away the vast
majority of criminals who committed atrocities against the Armenians
of Sumgait … qualifies as disorderly conduct. Violence against
defenseless Armenians in Azerbaijan continued with impunity – because
of ethnic cleansing and genocide, hundreds of people died, thousands
were disabled, more than half a million Armenians became refugees.

We grieve for all victims and survivors, the statement runs.

The authors of the statement want to remind the political forces
that people of Artsakh chose the way of independence and defended
their choice by national efforts. They call not to forget those who
survived and became refugees.