Jim Langevin, the Democratic congressman representing Rhode Island, has condemned the pogroms carried out by Azerbaijan against Armenians in Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku, calling on the Biden administration to hold Aliyev accountable for the continued hostility against Armenia and Artsakh. The congressman’s statement is presented by the Armenian National Committee of America’s grassroots division:
“Madam Speaker, I rise to mourn and commemorate the victims of the pogroms carried out against Armenians in Sumgait on 27-29 February 1988, in Kirovabad on 21-27 November 1988, and in Baku on 13-19 January 1990.
During those events, the attackers tortured and killed hundreds of Armenian residents. I condemn those massacres and Azerbaijan’s subsequent assault against Armenian citizens and their culture.
On the eve of the anniversary of the attacks in Sumgait 33 years ago, and without forgetting Azerbaijan’s attack unleashed in Artsakh last autumn, I call on the United States to take a leading role in establishing a just and lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has been spilling the blood of innocent people for far too long, and its actions are a blatant violation of the international order.
I call on the Biden administration to take a different approach from previous administrations when it comes to holding the guilty accountable. The United States must place human rights above all else,” the congressman said.
