February 1988 heralded the start of a modern-day national awakening and liberation struggle, the crowning glory of which was the Armenia’s Independence and the creation of the Republic of Artsakh.
In response to the peaceful struggle waged by the Armenians of Artsakh to advance their inalienable and constitutional rights, Azerbaijan, took advantage of the indifference of the Soviet authorities, organized and carried out bloody massacres of the Armenian population of the city of Sumgait from February 27 to 29, 1988. The events in Sumgait were followed by massacres and ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Baku, Gandzak, Shamkhor, and other cities.
The 1988 Armenian massacres in Sumgait, the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands, the subsequent first and 44-day Artsakh wars, the depopulation of Artsakh and its annexation by Azerbaijan, the taking hostages and the sham trial of the military-political leadership of the Artsakh Republic, demonstrate Azerbaijan’s long-term strategic ambitions in the region.
Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian policy overtly is being advanced today in the staged trials in Baku, as well as in the process of negotiating the so-called “peace” treaty, the obvious goal of which is not the establishment of peace anchored on international legal norms, but the de facto destruction of Armenia’s statehood, the elimination of the Armenian political factor.
On the 37th anniversary of the Sumgait massacres and the ongoing legal farce in Baku, the ARF Bureau announces:
- The ARF will continue to pursue the demand for recognition, condemnation, and fair reparations for the genocidal acts committed by Azerbaijan between 1988 and 1990.
- The demand for fair compensation and the right to return for the victims of the genocide committed by Azerbaijan in Sumgait, various other cities, and Artsakh, as well as the immediate release of all prisoners and detainees held hostage in Baku, should become part of the agenda of Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations.
ARF Bureau
February 28, 2025
