Letter to the Editor:
The Burbank Human Relations Council stands in solidarity with our Armenian friends and neighbors. Together we stand for human rights, freedom and democracy. Together we stand up against hate and authoritarian rule.
On September 27, 2020 Azerbaijan launched an attack on innocent people in the independent region of Artsakh. This is a region with over 2000 years of rich Armenian history and culture. Azerbaijan has a long-standing history of constant human rights violations. The current violent aggression toward Artsakh is aided by the Turkish government who has provided arms and mercenaries to fight from Libya and the Turkish Syrian border. These attacks have decimated the fragile peace agreements that had been in place for three decades. Turkey, the successor to the Ottoman Empire, has a long history of violence against the Armenian people. This unprovoked violent attack of the Armenian people is perceived as a continuation of the hatred and atrocious crimes that Turkey committed against the Armenian people during the genocide of 1915.
Sadly, this international conflict has expanded beyond Artsakh and into the Armenian community in here in California. Last week we read news of hate crimes against the Armenian community in San Francisco. Hate filled messages were sprayed across an Armenian school which was later riddled with gun fire from a drive by shooting, and St. Gregory’s Armenian Apostolic Church was a victim of an arson attack.
The Armenian community has raised local awareness, and urge all people of good will to come together to ask our government officials to hold Azerbaijan and Turkey accountable. We join our Armenian friends and neighbors in condemning the attacks, especially the targeting of churches and schools. We call for an end to all military actions and support ongoing dialogues to secure a cease-fire and a lasting peace agreement. Additionally, we extend our sympathy for the loss of lives, and for the suffering endured by the children and families impacted by this violence.
Marsha Ramos
Vice President, Burbank Human Relations Council
