Today Armenians all over the world mark the 23th anniversary of the Sumgait pogroms in Soviet Azerbaijan. Mass violence, plunder and killings of the Armenian population took place starting from February 27, 1988. According to official information, 26 Armenians were killed (according to unofficial data - 53) another 100 were seriously injured in the city of Sumgait.
The February 29 session of Soviet Politburo officially recognized mass pogroms and killings in Sumgait were of ethnic character and were conducted against peaceful Armenian population.
Pogroms were a response to the decision of the Regional Council of deputies of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, who appealed to the leadership of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the USSR requesting to withdraw the Autonomous Oblast from Azerbaijan SSR and transfer to the Armenian SSR.
As a result of three-day long pogroms dozens were killed, many of them - burned alive after beatings and torture, hundreds were wounded. Many women, including under-age girls, were, raped.
