YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Sumgait Pogroams, the Armenian community of Washington D.C. held a protest outside the Azerbaijani embassy calling on to recognize and stop the killings of the innocent civilians, Voice of America reported.

Aram Hamparian, director of the Armenian National Committee of America, said the protesters addressed their voices not only to Azerbaijan, but also the United States.  

“We tell the US government – it’s necessary to stand on the right side”, Aram Hamparian said.

The protesters reminded numerous atrocities following the Sumgait events, such as the ax murder of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan by an Azerbaijani criminal in Budapest, and the beheading of soldier Kyaram Sloyan during the 2016 April four-day war.

“The Sumgait events took place 30 years ago, but we can state that if Aliyev and his army have a chance, they will again commit a similar massacre against Armenians”, Aram Hamparian said.

According to the official data of the Soviet period, 26 Armenians were killed in Sumgait on February 27-29, but the number of Armenians killed in Sumgait is more than a hundred. It’s worth mentioning that the Soviet leadership was trying to hide the fact of these massacres by all possible measures.

Haykanush Kazanchyan, participating in the protest with her family, wants to inform the whole world about the Sumgait tragedy. “It’s very important to inform the world that such tragedy is not being forgotten”, she said.

English – translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan