BOSTON, Mass. — More than 200 Armenian-Americans convened outside the Massachusetts State House on Thursday to protest the illegal blockade of more 120,000 Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh). This 70-plus day siege has caused significant hardship for the Armenians of Artsakh; their rights to access to the outside world and freedom of movement have been violated by the despotic regime in Azerbaijan. The siege has meant no food, no medical supplies and no fuel for the inhabitants, and they have had to ration food, close down the schools due to lack of heat and deal with medical emergencies for patients needing care.
Organized by the Pan Armenian Council of New England, the event featured speakers from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian General Benevolent Union of New England, the Tekeyan Cultural Association and the Armenia Tree Project. Massachusetts State Representative David Muradian of Grafton emceed the program. An ecumenical opening prayer featured clergy from local Armenian and non-Armenian churches, mosques and synagogues; there was a closing prayer by Reverend Laura E. Everett, executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches. Robert Trestan and Craig Kaufman represented the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) at the event, respectively.
Reverend clergy and state lawmakers participate in protest against Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh, February 16, 2023 (Photo: Knar Bedian)
The Azeri regime, under the rule of the Aliyev clan, is implementing this plan to drive the Armenians of Artsakh from their ancestral homelands, conducting an act of ethnic cleansing in broad daylight and in full view of the international committee. Alarm bells are going off at international organizations who monitor acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Amnesty International, the Lemkin Institute and the International Society of Genocide Scholars, among others, have spoken out on this issue and have issued warnings about a looming humanitarian crisis and genocide. Many governments, including the US, have urged Azerbaijan to stop the blockade, but they have failed to put measures in place to force the government of Azerbaijan to stop the blockade.
Currently, a resolution (H. Res. 108) with over 60 original co-sponsors is moving through the House to stop all US assistance to Azerbaijan and denounce the Artsakh blockade. This is a welcome step to halt this flagrant attempt at ethnic cleansing.
As descendants of survivors of genocide and numerous atrocities, those gathered expressed solidarity in the face of the continuation of such acts into the 21st century. As citizens of the Commonwealth, the Armenian-American community is profoundly concerned by the immediate dangers of this unfolding act of ethnic cleansing. The community, through their advocacy efforts and the protest last Thursday, sent a strong message to the Congress to pass H.Res.108 to stop all aid to Azerbaijan and issue sanctions against the Azeri government until they lift the blockade.
Meghri Dervartanian speaks on behalf of the ARF of Boston (Photo: Knar Bedian)
The community calls on the US State Department and our ambassadors in Yerevan and Baku to physically travel to Artsakh and demonstrate the intent of the US government to stop this campaign of genocide. Additionally, the Armenian Americans of Massachusetts call on Samantha Power to leverage the immense resources of USAID to organize an international airlift of supplies and aid to Artsakh, akin to that of Berlin in 1948-49. Most importantly, they call on all citizens of the Commonwealth and the world to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Armenians of Artsakh and let them know they are not alone in their struggle.
Protest against Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh, February 16, 2023 (Photo: Knar Bedian)