Author: Karapet Navasardian

FRESNO—The San Joaquin Valley community will once again gather on the steps of Fresno City Hall to raise the flags of the United States and Armenia in commemoration of the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide. The event will take place on Wednesday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to noon in front of City Hall.

The keynote speaker for this year’s program is Alice Petrossian, current chairperson of the Education Committee of the Armenian National Committee of America–Western Region (ANCA–WR) and former president of the Los Angeles County Commission for Women. She has also served as Chief Academic Officer of the Pasadena Unified School District and occupied various administrative positions for the Glendale Unified School District.

Also participating will be Fresno Mayor Lee Brand and Fowler City Councilmember Karnig Kazarian, who will serve as master of ceremonies.

The invocation will be given by the local clergy, including: Fr. Dajad Ashekian of Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Fr. Yessai Bedros of St. Paul Armenian Church, Fr. Yeghia Hairabedian of St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church, Rev. Greg Haroutunian of First Armenian Presbyterian Church, and Nerses Balabanian of Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church.

This year’s musical program will feature Hygo Ohannessian and Asdghig Ajamian, who will sing the national anthems of United States and Republic of Armenia, and students of the Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School performing traditional and contemporary selections. Members of the Sassoon Chapter of the Homenetmen Scouts and the local JROTC will serve as the color guard, accompanied by the Association Of The United States Army “Sounds Of Freedom” Military Concert Band.

Throughout her 44 year career, Petrossian has been an educational leader and advocate for all students. As an immigrant who at the time of her arrival did not speak a word of English, she is most passionate when working for and with disenfranchised, minority and limited English speaking students. Her awards include, among many others, the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor and multiple Woman of the Year proclamations by Assemblyman James Rogan (1998), Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (2008), and Senator Carol Liu (2013). Petrossian remains connected to Armenia through her yearly volunteer work and lectures at American University of Armenia.

The ANCA – Central California has organized the commemoration since 2004 when the flag of Armenia was first raised over Fresno City Hall in memory of 1.5 million martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.

The ANCA-WR is a grassroots public affairs organization devoted to advancing issues of concern to the Armenian American community. For nearly a century, the ANCA-WR has served to educate, motivate and activate the Armenian American community in the Western United States on a wide range of issues.

WASHINGTON–Rep. Adam Schiff, Vice-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, on Wednesday submitted a statement to the Congressional Record honoring the victims of the Sumgait Pogroms 31 years ago.

The full statement is below:

“Madame Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the pogrom against the Armenian residents of the town of Sumgait, Azerbaijan. On February 27 1988, and for three days following, Azerbaijani mobs assaulted and killed Armenians. The violence left hundreds of Armenian civilians dead and injured, women and girls were raped, and some victims were burned alive. Thousands were forced to flee their homes, leaving behind their belonging.

“The pogroms came as a direct result of years of vicious, racist anti-Armenian propaganda by Azerbaijani authorities, dehumanizing the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan and laying the groundwork for mass violence. Azerbaijani authorities made little effort to punish those responsible, instead attempting to cover up the atrocities in Sumgait to this day and denying the government role in instigating the killings. Indeed, even today, racist propaganda against Armenia and Armenians is prevalent in Azerbaijan.

“The hateful and dangerous Azerbaijani attacks on Armenians is also seen in a horrific crime which occurred 15 years ago last week. At a NATO sponsored training in Budapest, an Azerbaijani Army officers named Ramil Safarov snuck into the room of an Armenian lieutenant, Gurgen Margaryan, and hacked him to death with an axe as he slept.

“For this brutal and despicable crime, Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary. Yet after a determined campaign by Azerbaijan’s government, he was extradited to Baku in 2012 where he was greeted not as a criminal but as hero, provided back pay, and promoted in rank. There is no more dramatic illustration of Azerbaijan’s continued posture of hatred and aggression towards their Armenian neighbor than their celebration of a cold-blooded murderer.

“The assault on ethnic Armenian civilians in Sumgait helped touch off what would become a direct conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan which took thousands of lives and dislocated millions more. The anniversary of Sumgait is a reminder of the consequences when aggression and hatred grow unchecked.

“Madame Speaker, in two months we will mark the 104th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, an event the Turkish government, Azerbaijan’s closest ally, goes to great lengths to deny. We must not let such crimes against humanity go unrecognized, whether they occurred yesterday or 30 years ago or 100 years ago. Today, let us pause to remember the victims of the atrocities of the Sumgait pogroms. Mr. Speaker, it is our moral obligation to condemn crimes of hatred and to remember the victims, in hope that history will not be repeated.”