Letter by grassroots organization of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan circulated as official UN document

A letter by Gardman-Shirvan-Nakhijevan Pan-Armenian Union, a civil society organization established to protect the rights of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan, about the 1988 anti-Armenian pogrom in Sumgait, has been circulated by the UN as an official document.

The letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General is titled “Appeal for remembrance and justice for the Sumgait massacres of 1988.”

Below is the full text of the letter:

"We write to you with deep sorrow and urgency on the anniversary of the Sumgait massacres of 1988, a tragic event that remains one of the darkest pages in the history of the Armenian people. From February 27 to 29, 1988, in the industrial city of Sumgait, located near Baku, a premeditated campaign of persecution against the Armenian population was carried out, escalating into a massacre based on ethnic hatred. The slogans “Death to Armenians” and “Armenians, get lost”, “We need the heads of Armenians” quickly spread throughout the city, and then also to other cities with Armenian populations. For three days, Armenians in Sumgait were completely defenseless as they faced all forms of racial discrimination – ranging from physical violence to psychological torment, from the looting of homes to the plundering of personal belongings. The entire Armenian population of the city was subjected to ethnic cleansing, orchestrated with the direct involvement of the Soviet Azerbaijani authorities. Thousands of Armenians were forcibly displaced, leaving behind their homes, livelihoods, and communities that had existed for generations. Families were torn apart, and many who survived continue to live with the trauma of those horrifying days. Eyewitnesses testify to the killing of young Armenians and the burning of their bodies. There is evidence of Armenians being beheaded, flayed, beaten, raped, and other physical violence. All of this happened in front of the police and with their consent, which directly indicates that the massacre was ordered from above. The perpetrators of the Sumgait Armenian massacre were made “heroes” in Azerbaijan․ This massacre was not an isolated event but part of a systematic campaign of anti-Armenian violence, which later extended to Baku in 1990 and contributed to the larger conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. To this day, the genocide committed against the Armenian community of Sumgait has not been sufficiently recognized, and those who organized and carried out these crimes have not been held accountable. The rights of the Armenians who were forcibly displaced from Sumgait remain violated, as they continue to be denied justice and restitution. We humbly call upon Your Excellency and the United Nations to honor the memory of the innocent victims of the Sumgait massacres and to advocate for the recognition of this crime. We seek your voice in calling for justice, accountability, and the restoration of the rights of the displaced Armenian population. The Armenian people, who have suffered centuries of persecution, look to the UN as an institution committed to the protection of human rights, peace, and justice. Your recognition and advocacy can play a crucial role in ensuring that the truth is acknowledged, that historical justice is served, and that the world remembers the suffering of the innocent. Furthermore, we urge the United Nations to encourage dialogue and reconciliation based on historical truth. The path to lasting peace cannot be built on denial and erasure but must stem from the acknowledgment of past injustices. Only through justice and recognition can true reconciliation be achieved, preventing such tragedies from occurring again in the future. We believe that the UN, as the leading international organization for peace and human rights, can be a guiding force in promoting justice for all those who have suffered due to ethnic violence and persecution. May the world never forget the crimes committed against the Armenian people, and may justice and peace prevail.”