Written declaration
No.
708
| Doc. 15064
| 31 January 2020
- Signatories:
- Ms Tatevik HAYRAPETYAN,
Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Sos AVETISYAN,
Armenia, SOC ; Mr Fourat BEN CHIKHA,
Belgium, SOC ; Ms Annicka ENGBLOM,
Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Bernard FOURNIER,
France, EPP/CD ; Mr Frank HEINRICH,
Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Hovhannes IGITYAN,
Armenia, ALDE ; Mr Momodou Malcolm JALLOW,
Sweden, UEL ; Mr Arin KARAPET,
Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Eduard KÖCK,
Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr George LOUCAIDES,
Cyprus, UEL ; Mr Alvise MANIERO,
Italy, NR ; Mr Gianni MARILOTTI,
Italy, NR ; Mr Edmon MARUKYAN,
Armenia, ALDE ; Mr Mikayel MELKUMYAN,
Armenia, EC/DA ; Mr Ruben RUBINYAN,
Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Vladimir VARDANYAN,
Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Gaik VARTANEAN,
Republic of Moldova, SOC ; Mr Markus WIECHEL,
Sweden, EC/DA ; Ms Naira ZOHRABYAN,
Armenia, EC/DA
This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.
We, the undersigned, declare the following:
On 13-19 January 1990, hundreds of thousands of Armenians
living in Baku, Azerbaijani SSR, faced a large-scale series of pogroms,
the manifestations of Azerbaijani policy of systematic attacks against
the ethnic Armenian population. Hundreds of Armenians were murdered,
mutilated, persecuted, displaced. Under the threat of extermination,
around 250 000 Armenians were forced to flee Azerbaijan.
The Baku massacres became the culmination of the State policy
of racism and xenophobia against Armenians (armenophobia). Contrary
to the facts recorded by the international community, human rights
organisations and the European Parliament (Resolutions of 1988,
1990, 1991), the Azerbaijani authorities deny those crimes and evade
responsibility. 30 years after those outrages, there is no respect
and compassion for the victims of Armenian massacres in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijanis who tried to speak about the pogroms are officially
considered betrayers.
Regarding this, we:
- commemorate
the memory of the Baku pogroms victims;
- condemn any manifestation of racism and xenophobia;
- reaffirm that crimes against humanity have no statute
of limitations and emphasise that condemnation of past crimes is
the most important guarantee for preventing new ones;
- deplore that the organisers and perpetrators of the pogroms
have not yet been brought to justice.
