Expert: Sumgait pogroms behind Armenia’s non participation in Eurovision

March 24, 2012 - 15:04 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian expert Alexander Manasyan noted the bleeding wound of Sumgait and Baku pogroms as the key reason behind Armenia’s refusal to participate in 2012 Eurovision song contest, and not the insignificant excuses or safety requirements.

“I don’t’ understand why representatives of the show-business and mass media don’t voice the actual reason of non-participation in the contest. We should remind the world of the atrocities committed against Armenians in Azerbaijan, until the whole world recognizes the fact,” Mr. Manasyan said.

On February 24, Armenian singers refused to participate in Baku-hosted Eurovision 2012 song contest, following the February 23 death of an Armenian soldier in Azeri sniper attack. On March 7, Armenian Public Television officially informed the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) of Armenia’s withdrawal from the contest.

42 countries will take part in the contest, each semi-final featuring 18 participants. The final will be held on May 26.

Armenian pogrom in Baku

The Armenian pogrom in Baku was part of Azerbaijani authorities' anti-Armenian program calculated to bring about the destruction of the town's Armenian population. The seven-day pogroms perpetrated by Azerbaijani SSR broke out on January 13, 1990, leaving 300 Armenians dead. The real number of victims remains unclear to date.

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.