NKR Parliament Calls to Condemn Mass Killing of Armenians in Baku

STEPANAKERT (Armradio) — The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic has adopted a statement on the 26th anniversary of the mass killing of the Armenian population of Baku.

“On January 13-19, 1990 the Azerbaijani authorities organized and perpetrated the mass killing of the Armenian population of Baku. About 250 thousand Armenians were persecuted, massacred or exiled only for their nationality; as a result the city was completely cleansed of Armenians. More than 400 Armenians fell victim to Azeri violence, a figure confirmed by international human rights organizations.

The violence in Baku was the continuation of the unpunished 1988 massacres in Sumgait and other Armenian-populated cities of Azerbaijan perpetrated with the knowledge and permission of the USSR leadership.

The Azerbaijani authorities not only distort the essence of the “black January,” but also consign to oblivion and silence the story of the “capital of three massacres,” trying to conceal the obvious consequences of the massacres and genocidal policy against Armenians in 1905, 1918 and 1990.

The terrible massacre of Baku Armenians has not been properly assessed by now. Furthermore, encouraged by impunity, the Azerbaijani authorities have been consistently implementing an anti-Armenian policy over the past 26 years, accompanied by periodic ceasefire violations and threats of resumption of war.

Paying tribute to the memory of the innocent Armenians that fell victims to the Baku pogroms and forced deportation and condemning any expression of xenophobia, radicalism and terrorism, the Foreign Relations Committee of the NKR National Assembly:

-reiterates that the Baku pogroms fully comply with the legal formulation of the crime of genocide as defined by the UN Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide;

-insists that the Republic of Ngaorno Karabakh (Artsakh) will be consistent to have the organizers and perpetrators of the genocide of Azerbaijani Armenians held accountable in compliance with international norms.

-calls on the civilizes community and advocacy organizations to condemns the mass killing of the Armenian population of Baku and give it a legal assessment.”