Azerbaijan Must Be Held Accountable for State-Sponsored Hate Toward Armenians
ANCC’s Statement on the 30th Anniversary of the Baku Pogroms
OTTAWA – This week, the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) joins the international community in commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Baku Pogroms, the systematic and pre-determined massacre and deportation of the ethnic Armenian community in Baku.
In January 1990 – a time of unprecedented chaos and uncertainty in the South Caucasus – the world witnessed some of the most horrific crimes committed by Azerbaijani nationalists against Baku’s innocent Armenian population. These crimes and forced deportations of men, women and children were Azerbaijan’s direct response to the Republic of Artsakh’s (Nagorno-Karabakh) rightful plea for freedom and independence.
“Racism and discrimination against Armenians have always been state-sponsored policies in Azerbaijan and the events in Baku, Sumgait and the subsequent acts of cultural genocide were vivid examples of this destructive mentality” said Hrag Tarakdjian, co-president of the ANCC.
As a result of the pogroms, Baku’s once 215,000 strong Armenian community eventually disappeared through mass murder and forced deportations.
“To this day, Azerbaijan continues to disseminate its deplorable policies of Armenophobia and aggression, fuelling further insecurity and animosity in a region that needs peace and stability” said Shahen Mirakian, co-president of the ANCC.
“So long as Azerbaijan continues to threaten the safety and security of Artsakh and spread hate towards Armenians, Canada and the rest of the international community must condemn it and hold the Azerbaijani regime accountable through various measures prescribed by international law” concluded Tarakdjian and Mirakian.