Written declaration No. 708 | Doc. 15064 | 31 January 2020

Baku pogroms

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 commits only those who have signed it.

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.