Sumgait massacre survivors still awaiting trial of criminalsFebruary 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 | Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life, Strong Mind IDBank and Idram summarize the results of the May program of “The Power of One Dram”. Yerevan State University, Ucom sign Memorandum of Cooperation Rector of Yerevan State University Hovhannes Hovhannisyan and General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian signed the memorandum. EU to provide budgetary support to Armenia The agreement is aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the educational system of Armenia. Aliyev: No peace treaty unless Armenia changes constitution Azerbaijan will not sign a peace treaty with Armenia unless the latter changes its constitution, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said. |