LANSING, Mich. — American Armenians from all over the state gathered at the Michigan State Capitol in peaceful protest against Turkish and Azerbaijani aggression in the native Armenian land of Artsakh. Descendants of survivors of the Armenian genocide of 1915 as well as refugees of the 1992 war in Azerbaijan marched to show their solidarity with the people of Artsakh and Armenia and call on the Michigan Legislature and Congress to pass the resolution condemning war crimes currently being committed against Armenian people.
“Our hearts bleed for the people of Armenia and Artsakh who are being viciously attacked by Azerbaijani and Turkish forces,” said Helen Cirrito, Spokesperson for the Armenian Community of Lansing. “We can’t be silent when Turkish forces are bombing Armenian churches, homes and places of business. Hundreds of innocent people are dying on a daily basis at the hands of war criminals. This unprovoked aggression needs to stop and it takes all of us to send Turkey and Azerbaijan a message that we want peace!”
The Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), an integral part of Armenia, was attacked by Turkey and Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020. Since then thousands of people have lost their lives. To date, many countries around the world have condemned Turkey and Azerbaijan for their aggression against a peaceful nation.
“Armenians have been persecuted for centuries for their Christian beliefs,” said Helen. “In 1915, the United States welcomed survivors of the Armenian Genocide, during which 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Empire. In the early 1990’s, we resettled another wave of Armenian refugees fleeing from the war in Azerbaijan. How many innocent lives will it take before the world takes a stand against the ethnic cleansing and displacement of Armenians all over the world? On Sunday we sent one clear message – Armenians want peace!”
For background information on the conflict as well as the most recent news and statistics visit Armenian National Committee of America, at www.anca.org.
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