SYDNEY: The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) will honour the memory of the Sumgait Massacre victims during a commemorative evening starting 7:30 pm on Friday March 16th 2012 in the hall of the Armenian Cultural Centre, 259 Penshurst Street Willoughby.
The commemoration, which will mark the 24th anniversary of the tragic massacre, will feature an address by the Hon. Walt Secord NSW MLC who recently visited the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh as well as excerpts from the documentary ‘Karabakh Wounds’.
During the winter of 1988, Azeri mobs targeted and killed more than 50 Armenians in the city of Sumgait. The massacre sparked the beginning of the movement to seek independence for the Armenians of Karabakh.
ANC Australia Executive Director Varant Meguerditchian recalled the massacre of Armenians in Sumgait stating: “The pogroms in Baku and Sumgait became headline news and triggered worldwide support for the independence movement in Nagorno Karabakh.”
“It is important that we remember the massacre and bring greater awareness to Nagorno Karabakh’s right to self determination.”
A commemorative evening will also be held at the Armenian Cultural Centre in Melbourne on Sunday 26th February 2012.
