In memory of the victims of the Sumgait massacre, 1988

On 27 February 1988, an act of genocide against the Armenian residents of Sumgait, in the Azerbaijan SSR, began. The massacre lasted several days. It was a reaction to the lawful will of the people of Artsakh to reunite with Armenia.

In Sumgait the Azerbaijani authorities committed a crime against humanity. 36 Armenians were killed (this is the documented number; in reality there were more victims), among them pregnant women, children and the elderly. Hundreds were wounded and tens of thousands became refugees.

The picture shows photographs of the victims surrounded by flowers; in front is a Russian-language placard with the words ‘The Soviet press is in debt to the innocent…’.