  Sumgait massacre survivors still awaiting trial of criminals February 28, 2011 - 14:40 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The survivors of Sumgait massacre are still awaiting the international courts to launch legal procedure over the crimes committed against Armenians, said Hrayr Ulubabyan, the author of the “Sumgait, Genocide, Publicity” book. As he told a news conference in Armenia, international experts have repeatedly characterized Sumgait events as genocide. Ulubabyan slammed the policy of silence of the official Yerevan, noting that in contrast to Armenia, Azerbaijan is actively working to shift its blame on the Armenian side. “I have documents as well as eyewitness evidence proving the fact of the slaughter of Armenians. However, the Armenian authorities are neglecting the issue,” Ulubabyan said.    The Sumgait Pogrom The Sumgait Pogrom was the Azeri-led pogrom that targeted the Armenian population living in the Azerbaijani seaside town of Sumgait in February 1988. On February 27, 1988, large mobs made up of Azeris formed into groups that went on to attack and kill Armenians in both on the streets and in their apartments; widespread looting and a general lack of concern from police officers allowed the situation to worsen. The violent acts in Sumgait were unprecedented in scope in the Soviet Union and attracted a great deal of attention from the media in the West. The massacre came in light of the Nagorno-Karabakh movement that was gaining traction in the neighbouring Armenia SSR.  Top stories President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.   Partner news |  Latest news U.S. “deeply troubled” by Azerbaijan's arrest of civil society members  The United States is deeply troubled by the continued arrest of members of Azerbaijani civil society, Matthew Miller has said.Turkey condemns Uruguay’s recognition of Armenian Genocide Turkey has condemned a newly passed law in Uruguay that recognizes the Armenian Genocide, TRT reports.For the first time, Armenia votes in favor of Georgia resolution in UN Armenia on Tuesday, June 4 voted for the first time in favor a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.Moscow warns Armenia against leaving Russian-led defense bloc Armenia could ruin its military ties with Russia if it continues drifting towards the West, according to a senior official in Moscow. |
