Anniversary of Artsakh Liberation Movement, pogroms in Azerbaijan maked in Los Angeles

In commemoration of the Sumgait 1988 Massacres, (pogroms committed against the Armenian population in Soviet Azerbaijan), Los AngelesCity officials and community gathered at the TomBradleyTower at the Apex of Los Angeles City Hall on April 9th, 2013.

Under the auspices of Los Angeles City Councilmembers, Paul Krekorian and Dennis Zine and the Consul General of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles, the event was co-sponsored by the Armenian National Committee Western Region, Unified Young Armenians, Armenian Youth Federation, USC Institute of Armenian Studies, the Ararat-EskijianGenocideMuseum and Sardarabad book store.

The commemorative event was also attended by Executive Director of the Armenian Assembly of America. The event included special appearances by various speakers and Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, a survivor of Baku pogroms and author of a book, a story of the refugees who fled Baku pogroms. She gave a compelling narration of her childhood trauma as a Baku refugee, who, along with her family narrowly escaped massacres orchestrated by the then Azeri government.

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte warned the gathered of the ongoing hate campaign and of a generation of Armenian-haters brought up in today’s Azerbaijan. Mrs. Turcotte presented her speech and read excerpts from her book, the writing of which became integral to the healing process for herself and her family. Anna’s somber and sobering account of the traumas she experienced along with 300,000 other Armenians in Azerbaijan shook the audience to their very core.