Indiana-Armenians Commemorate Sumgait and Baku Pogroms

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—Armenian community members from across Indiana gathered on Feb. 14 at the Greenwood Public Library, to commemorate the 30^th anniversary of the anti-Armenian Sumgait and Baku pogroms.

During the event, participants watched the “The Ordinary Genocide 1988 Sumgait” documentary film, which was followed by an active discussion. The aim of the event was to educate local Armenians and friends of Armenia as well as raise greater awareness about the historical facts while analyzing the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and Artsakh.

Event organizers and a group of participants after the film screening (Photo: ANC of Indiana)

Indiana-Armenians also discussed how they could contribute to resisting the aggression of Azerbaijan and support self-determination and independence of Artsakh on the local, state, and federal levels.

Indiana is home to many Armenian families that escaped the Baku pogroms and found safehaven in the United States. One of the participants, Gary Hambardzumyan, recounted his experience: “As soon as we heard from our families and friends who lived in Sumgait about the horrific and cruel activities against Armenians, my parents decided to leave our house immediately. We only took few clothes and the most important things and hit the road at night. That time I was 11 years old but still, I remember the panic and fear.”

ANC of Indiana chair Seda Arzumanyan welcoming guests and presenting the documentary (Photo: ANC of Indiana)

Seda Arzumanyan, the Chairwoman of Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Indiana remarked, “Our goal is to strengthen the Armenian network in Indiana and send our message to dictatorial Azerbaijan that we are not going to tolerate any more aggression towards Armenians. We are developing relationships with the local government officials by actively engaging them in strengthening peace and stability in the region.”

The Armenian National Committee of Indiana is the largest and most influential grassroots advocacy organization representing the views and advancing the policy priorities of Armenian-Americans and friends of Armenia across the state of Indiana.