“SOS Artsakh!”

A march and protest will be held Friday, Sept. 1 during the 89th AYF-YOARF Olympics weekend in Washington, D.C. The protest will kick off demonstrations around the world led by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) to demand justice for Artsakh on the occasion of its Sept. 2 independence anniversary.

Protesters will assemble at the Olympics Renaissance Hotel Headquarters at 1 p.m. and march at 1:30 p.m. to Lafayette Park, just north of the White House. The protest starts at 2 p.m. 

Signs and flags will be provided for the march and protest, where demands will be directed to U.S. government officials, urging them to act now to end Azerbaijan’s genocidal blockade of Artsakh’s 120,000 men, women and children; airlift humanitarian aid immediately; stop military aid to Azerbaijan; sanction the reckless Aliyev regime for its unpunished war crimes; and champion Artsakh’s self-determination rights.

“Olympics weekend always brings our community together to celebrate the AYF and its accomplishments, which include the AYF’s tireless Hai Tahd work,” said ARF Eastern Region Central Committee chair Ani Tchaghlasian and AYF-YOARF Eastern Region Central Executive chair Nareg Mkrtschjan. “We know that every effort will be made by those attending Olympics weekend to be at the ‘SOS Artsakh!’ protest to support our brothers and sisters in Artsakh.”

Additional details and updates can be found on the AYF-YOARF Eastern Region’s Facebook and Instagram pages and will be available in next week’s Armenian Weekly.

The ARF Eastern Region Central Committee’s headquarters is the Hairenik Building in Watertown, Mass. The ARF Eastern Region’s media and bookstore are also housed in this building, as are various other important Armenian community organizations. The ARF Eastern Region holds a convention annually and calls various consultative meetings and conferences throughout the year.


Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS