WASHINGTON — Armenians walked in the streets of Washington, D.C. from the Chinatown area to the White House calling for public and political attention to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Artsakh and at Armenia’s state borders. Carrying signs with statements such as “Artsakh is Armenia,” “Aliyev is Guilty of War Crimes,” and “Stop the Artsakh Genocide,” the rally’s destination was Lafayette Plaza, across from the White House. Participants chanted “Ar-tsakh-Ar-tsakh,” “Open your eyes to Azeri lies.”
Organized by the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), the rally was attended by many other community groups and organization. Armenian clergies including St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church’s Father Hovsep Karapetyan and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, the Ecumenical Director and the Diocesan Legate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America were also present. “Mr. President, we are grateful for your recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Please do not foresee the second Genocide of the Armenian people,” said Archbishop Aykazian in his remarks.
“Our brother and sisters in Artsakh are dying a slow death. The children cannot go to school,” added community activist Aline Baghdassarian.
AYF’s local representative criticized the United Nations and international governments, including Armenia’s government for inability to take any functional measures to enforce the end of the illegal and inhuman and illegal blockade against the indigenous people of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).
Protests are happening in different parts of the world, from California to New York, and from Lebanon to France and Australia, in support of Armenian Artsakh on the 32nd anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union on September 2, 1991.
