Armenian MP warns Azerbaijan's genocidal policy unchanged since Sumgait pogrom

An Armenian opposition lawmaker on Saturday said Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy has not changed since the 1988 Sumgait pogrom and accused the Armenian government of ignoring ongoing threats and historical crimes.

Tigran Abrahamyan, who represents the Pativ Unem faction, took to Facebook to mark the anniversary of the Feb. 27–29, 1988 violence in Sumgait, recalling attacks on Armenians in the Azerbaijani city.

“Thirty-eight years ago, on February 27-29, Azerbaijanis carried out a massacre against Armenians in the city of Sumgait, as a result of which not only were there numerous victims, but also hundreds of people were tortured, raped and subjected to severe abuse. Several tens of thousands of Armenians were forced to leave their homes and settlements,” Abrahamyan wrote.

He stressed the violence was systematic in nature, involving organised groups, armed assailants and the targeting of Armenian residential addresses.

“Azerbaijan’s genocidal conduct has not changed to date,” he wrote. “Moreover, Azerbaijanis are proud of what they did and repeatedly threaten that, if necessary, they will act in the same way.”

Abrahamyan also criticised Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government, accusing it of having “closed not only the Artsakh page” but also of ignoring the historical crime.

“In response, the Pashinyan regime has turned a blind eye to the historic crime, reconciling itself with Azerbaijani crimes and manifestations of hatred, which is fraught with repetition and even more horrific events,” he wrote.