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COMMEMORATING THE SUMGAIT POGROMS OF 1988 AND THE BAKU POGROMS OF 1990
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HON. TED LIEU
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Mr. LIEU. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the anniversary of the Sumgait pogroms of 1988 and the Baku pogroms of 1990, and to remember the innocent Armenians who tragically lost their lives during these horrific events,
From February 27-29, 1988, hundreds of Armenians living in Sumgait, Azerbaijan were targeted in violent, ethnically motivated attacks. Armenians were beaten, murdered, raped, burned alive, and driven out of their homes. Mass violence against Armenians continued in other Azerbaijani cities in the following years, including in Baku in 1990, and thousands of Armenians were displaced. At the time, Members of the U.S. Congress, both Democrat and Republican, urged Azerbaijan to stop these atrocious events and take steps to protect these Armenian communities.
Many believe that these pogroms occurred in response to peaceful protests led by ethnic Armenians in Artsakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, who were demanding independence from Azerbaijan and calling for democracy. Throughout the dispute over Artsakh, anti-Armenian hatred and propaganda spread rapidly throughout Azerbaijan. It was this hatred and propaganda that fueled the Sumgait and Baku pogroms.
We must be vocal in rejecting hatred, violence, and discrimination--
and work tirelessly to ensure that history does not repeat itself. I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the memory of those lost in the Sumgait and Baku pogroms. And I will continue to work with the Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus to reaffirm our commitment to combatting human rights abuses around the world.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 38
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