Congressman Sherman Statement Commemorating the 35th Anniversary of the 1988 Sumgait Pogrom

35 years ago today, Azerbaijani mobs attacked Armenian residents of Sumgait, setting off pogroms that would last days and spread to multiple towns. These events led to unspeakable crimes - not only murders of Armenians, but also brutal acts of torture, rape, and immolation.

This tragic anti-Armenian massacre helped touch off a wave of anti-Armenian violence that spread to Kirovabad in November 1988 and to Baku in January 1990, which culminated in the forcible expulsion of 390,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan and the 1991-94 war over Artsakh.

As we remember the Sumgait Pogrom's victims, over 100,000 Armenians in Artsakh still face a brutal blockade by Azerbaijan - another brazen attempt at ethnic cleansing by Baku. To honor the past victims of anti-Armenian hate, we must fight this hatred when we see it today.

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