Today marks the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. As we honor the 1.5 million Armenians murdered by the Ottoman Empire across modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Armenia, we must refuse to let history repeat itself.
In 2020, the military forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey attacked the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2023, Azerbaijan expelled over 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, continuing the genocidal campaign that had begun over 100 years prior.
On this day of remembrance, we reaffirm the right of the Armenian people — and all people — to freedom, safety, and self-determination.
Four years ago, on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s full support, started a war against Artsakh. Since then, the violence and destruction have not stopped, with ongoing attacks, land grabs, and cultural erasure. There’s much more, but here’s a brief summary of key events since the 2020 Artsakh war began.
• September 27, 2020 – Azerbaijan, with full Turkish support, launches a war against Artsakh.
• November 9, 2020 – Pashinyan signs a capitulation agreement.
• December 14, 2020 – Azerbaijan violates the ceasefire, occupying the remaining parts of Hadrut (Hin Tagher, Khtsaberd) and capturing dozens of Armenian soldiers.
• May 12, 2021 – Azerbaijan attacks Gegharkunik and Syunik, seizing over 40 km of Armenian territory.
• August 26, 2021 – Azerbaijan takes control of key sections of the Goris-Kapan highway, severing Armenia’s connection to Iran.
• November 16, 2021 – Azerbaijan attacks Ishkhanasar in Syunik, killing seven Armenian soldiers and taking 10 hostages.
• March 2022 – Azerbaijan captures strategic heights near Parukh in Artsakh, killing three Armenian soldiers and displacing civilians.
• March 2022 – Azerbaijan twice cuts gas supplies to Artsakh during winter, causing a humanitarian crisis.
• August 1-3, 2022 – Azerbaijan attacks Berdzor, Yeghtsahogh, and Martakert, killing two Armenians, wounding 19, and seizing Berdzor, Aghavno, and Nerkin Sus.
• September 13-14, 2022 – Azerbaijan launches a major offensive from Gegharkunik to the Iranian border, seizing at least 10 sq km. Over 200 Armenians are killed or missing, with 300 wounded.
• December 12, 2022 – Azerbaijan blockades Artsakh.
• March 2023 – Azerbaijani forces ambush a police car near Stepanakert, killing three Armenian officers and injuring one.
• September 19-20, 2023 – Azerbaijan bombards, occupies, and ethnically cleanses Artsakh.
Meanwhile, since the occupation, Azerbaijan has been systematically erasing villages and towns in Artsakh, both culturally and physically. Satellite imagery reveals the destruction of these areas, and just today, parts of Stepanakert have been shown to have been destroyed.
📸 Yerablur Military Pantheon - September 27, 2024
@JetBlue I waited 8 hours for an inbound flight only to be delayed another 12 hours… oh! And thanks for the overnight hotel voucher, they had no rooms for me when I arrived. #StuckAndStranded
"Every year on April 24, we mark the 1915 Armenian genocide.
"This year, we should also reflect on the present day, for Armenians are again facing a new set of atrocities as the world watches on with indifference."
📝 @mrtommybecker https://t.co/XcPzUBJX4w
April 24 just serves as a reminder that Azerbaijan is continuing Turkey’s pan Turkic policy from a century ago.
Artsakh has been under a blockade now for over 130 days.
It’s 2023. We’re watching a live play by play of a dictatorship attempting to ethnically cleanse Artsakh.
Years ago I pushed the Library of Congress to recognize the Armenian Genocide to honor the victims of that atrocity. At this evening's commemoration with @ANCA_DC, I condemned Azerbaijan's aggression and expressed my continued support for the Armenian people.
According to @BeverlyHillsPD, promoting genocidal hatred against Armenians & vowing to wipe our country off the map is all good under the First Amendment.
This earthquake tragically compounds the misery Kurds have endured under the annihilationist policies of Turkey's fascist regime.
Aintab has long been an epicenter of Turkish state terror: of massacre, persecution & neglect.
Heartbroken for the victims of this unending tragedy.
#BREAKING: @SenSchumer joins @ANCA_DC & NY advocates in "condemning #Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which has left over 100,000 #Armenians without access to food, health care, & other necessities. It is our duty to speak out against these human rights abuses."