NKR Parliament: The memory of the victims of Sumgait obliges us to consistently restore justice and prevent the recurrence of such crimes
ArmInfo. The memory of the victims of Sumgait obliges us to consistently restore justice and prevent the recurrence of such crimes, as noted in a statement issued by the Artsakh Parliament on the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the pogroms of Armenians in Sumgait organized by Azerbaijan and the protection of the rights of the deported Armenian population.
"On February 27-29, 1988, mass pogroms against the Armenian population were organized and carried out in the city of Sumgait in the Azerbaijan SSR. Armenians were subjected to ethnocide based on their nationality: murder, violence, torture, and forced deportation.
The crimes committed in Sumgait were planned and targeted. This signaled the start of a systematic policy against the Armenian people, which was later evident in violence committed in other Armenian settlements in Azerbaijan, including Kirovabad in 1989 and Baku in 1990, the massacre of civilians in Maragha in 1992, and the complete deportation of the Armenian population from Azerbaijan," the Artsakh parliament said in a statement.
It is emphasized that the lack of a proper legal assessment and accountability for the crimes in Sumgait created a dangerous atmosphere of impunity. The Artsakh parliament added that this same policy was further expressed in the military aggression unleashed against the Republic of Artsakh, which involved war crimes, violence against the population, a large-scale blockade, and the complete forced deportation of the Armenian population of Artsakh in 2023.
"The political forces represented in the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh strongly condemn violence based on nationality and the state promotion of Armenophobia; note that the mass violence committed against Armenians, by its nature and consequences, constitutes the most serious crimes defined under international law; confirm that impunity leads to new crimes and undermines regional security and stability; call on the international community and the relevant legal and political institutions to provide an adequate legal and political assessment of the mass crimes against the Armenian people and hold their organizers and perpetrators accountable," the Artsakh legislative body continued in its statement.
It is noted that the political forces represented in the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh declare that they will continue to pursue a consistent political course to protect the rights of the people of Artsakh, their safe and dignified return to their homeland, and the full realization of their right to self-determination.
"The memory of the victims of Sumgait obliges us to consistently restore justice and prevent the recurrence of such crimes," the statement emphasizes. The statement was signed by: the Free Homeland-KMD faction, the United Homeland faction, the Justice faction, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction, and the Democratic Party of Artsakh faction.