The peak public affairs Committee of the Armenian-Australian community

The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) has marked the 25th anniversary of the Sumgait Massacres by spearheading an educational campaign of Australian legislators.

Organised anti-Armenian violence - aimed at killing and driving Armenians from their homes - began on the evening of February 27, 1988 in Sumgait, Soviet Azerbaijan, and within hours, turned into a series of well-documented pogroms during which Sumgait’s Christian Armenian residents were indiscriminately murdered, raped, and maimed by Azerbaijani rioters.

These brutal programs were a result of the peaceful aspirations of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, who sought their right to self-determination and independence from Azerbaijan.

ANC Australia Executive Director Vache Kahramanian remarked: “As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Sumgait massacres we must stand firm with the people of Nagorno-Karabakh who continue to struggle for their independence. It is important to educate the wider public on the horrors suffered by the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“The Republic of Azerbaijan continues to distort history with incorrect facts to avoid responsibility for the crimes in committed over two decades ago. The international community, including Australian legislators, must unequally condemn the actions of Azerbaijan,” Kahramanian continued.

ANC Australia has provided information packs to each Member of Parliament throughout Australia providing detailed information on the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Sumgait Massacres. The pack also counters the misinformation campaign being waged by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Such efforts by ANC Australia over the years have resulted in legislators joining the battle by Armenians to bring awareness to the issues facing the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh. Last year, Walt Secord MLC acknowledged the suffering at Sumgait (click here), while a motion introduced in the New South Wales Upper House to recognise the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (click here) by Marie Ficarra MLC was passed unanimously.