Armenia’s delegation to PACE has issued a declaration on 30th anniversary of large-scale pogroms of the Armenian population in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan. The declaration runs as follows:

“We, the undersigned, declare the following:

On 13-19 January 1990, hundreds of thousands of Armenians living in Baku, Azerbaijani SSR, faced a large scale series of pogroms, the manifestations of Azerbaijani policy of systematic attacks against the ethnic Armenian population. Hundreds of Armenians were murdered, mutilated, persecuted, displaced. Under the threat of extermination, around 250 000 Armenians were forced to flee Azerbaijan.

The Baku massacres became the culmination of the State policy of racism and xenophobia against Armenians (armenophobia). Contrary to the facts recorded by the international community, human rights organisations and the European Parliament (Resolutions of 1988, 1990, 1991), the Azerbaijani authorities deny those crimes and evade responsibility. 30 years after those outrages, there is no respect and compassion for the victims of Armenian massacres in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijanis who tried to speak about the pogroms are officially considered betrayers.

Regarding this, we:

– commemorate the memory of the Baku pogroms victims;

– condemn any manifestation of racism and xenophobia;

– reaffirm that crimes against humanity have no statute of limitations and emphasise that condemnation of past crimes is the most important guarantee for preventing new ones;

– deplore that the organisers and perpetrators of the pogroms have not yet been brought to justice.

A number of PACE MPs from different countries and different political groups also joined (signed) the written declaration.”