AYF Washington DC protest demanding Azerbaijani accountability to be held on February 27

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) “Ani” Chapter will be leading a protest commemorating the Azerbaijani massacres against Armenian communities in Sumgait and Baku, the precursor to 30-years of anti-Armenian aggression by the Aliyev regime, which culminated in the ethnic cleansing of over 100,000 Armenians and the occupation of over 70 percent of Artsakh.

The protest will be held on Sunday, February 27th at 2:30pm EST at the Azerbaijani Embassy, located at 2741 34th St. NW in Washington, DC. Prior to the protest, there will be a special requiem service (hokehankist) honoring the victims of Azerbaijani pogroms in Sumgait, Kirovabad, Baku and Maragha at Soorp Khatch Armenian Church, which is located at 4906 Flint Drive in Bethesda, Maryland.

“Our objective here is twofold: we want to honor the victims of the Sumgait and Baku pogroms 30 years ago and to illustrate to the world that Armenophobia is a pattern embedded in the fabric of the national Azerbaijani identity. We are here to protest our reality right now: a reality in which our neighbor actively seeks to wipe us off the map. It is our duty here as Armenian-Americans to keep demanding justice and to clearly send a message to the US government to stop sending aid to a genocidal regime,” said AYF Washington DC “Ani” chair, Areni Margossian.

From 1988 to 1990, the Armenian population in Soviet Azerbaijan was the target of racially motivated pogroms against Armenians in the cities of Sumgait (February 27-29, 1988), Kirovabad (November 21-27, 1988), Baku (January 13-19, 1990) and Maragha (April 10, 1992).

These pogroms set the stage for three decades of aggression by Azerbaijan, culminating in the 44-day war in 2020, where Azerbaijan once again demonstrated intense Armenophobic hatred no different than that in the 1980s. Despite the disastrous ceasefire agreement signed on November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan continues its tirade of aggression against Armenia and Artsakh, with the placement of over one-thousand troops on sovereign Armenian soil, constant cross-border attacks and the illegal imprisonment and torture of over 200 Armenian POWs.

Moreover, in a thorough attempt at cultural genocide, Azerbaijan has taken to destroying significant Armenian cultural and religious artifacts: destroying khatchkars (cross stones), churches and Armenian graves in an attempt to erase Armenian presence on Armenian lands. Earlier this month, the Azerbaijani government announced the establishment of a special commission with the specific task of destroying Armenian cultural heritage sites in Artsakh and presenting them as having an Albanian origin.

For more information regarding the requiem service and protest, please contact the AYF Washington DC Ani chapter at dc@ayf.org

Bio
Twitter
Latest Posts

AYF-YOARF

Founded in 1933, The Armenian Youth Federation is an international, non-profit, youth organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). The AYF-YOARF Eastern United States stands on five pillars that guide its central activities and initiatives: Educational, Hai Tahd, Social, Athletic and Cultural. The AYF also promotes a fraternal attitude of respect for ideas and individuals amongst its membership. Unity and cooperation are essential traits that allow members of the organization to work together to realize the AYF’s objectives.