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.