Offers Powerful Remarks on the House Floor Condemning Baku, Sumgait, Girovabad Massacres, Defending Artsakh’s Right to Freedom

WASHINGTON—Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.) took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today to commemorate the Sumgait, Baku, and Girovabad massacres, condemn ongoing Azerbaijani aggression, and call for freedom for the people of Nagorno Karabakh, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“The ANCA welcomes Congresswoman Chu’s powerful moral stand in remembrance of those lost to anti-Armenian massacres in Azerbaijan, profoundly values her efforts to educate her colleagues about Baku’s ongoing aggression, and deeply appreciates her defense of freedom for Nagorno Karabakh,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.

The full text of Congresswoman’s Chu’s February 26, 2015 speech is provided below:

“Twenty-seven years ago, as the lines of the Soviet Union were fading, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh were united in a call for a say in their own futures and greater independence from Azerbaijan. This peaceful movement for self-determination and freedom was followed by premeditated and government-sponsored attacks.

“Over the next two years, the Armenian population in the territory of Artsakh was repeatedly victim to brutal and racially motivated pogroms, darkly reminiscent of the days of the Armenian Genocide. Hundreds were murdered, thousands were displaced, and the Armenian community – both in Artsakh and in exile – continues to bear the scars from the brutal attacks in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku.

“When the people of Nagorno-Karabakh officially declared independence on December 10, 1991, they were met with full-scale war lasting until 1994. Even today, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are still forced to live under constant ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan.

“As we commemorate the somber anniversary marking the struggle of the Nagorno-Karabakh people, we wish for the peaceful resolution of this conflict and hope that its citizens will be free to determine their own future.”