This article examines the violence committed against women during the massacres of Armenians in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku in 1988-1990. Despite the extensive documentation of these events, the gendered aspect of this violence, particularly the targeting Armenian women, has not been sufficiently studied. This gap in research is particularly evident when it comes to classifying such crimes under international criminal law. While much attention has been given to the broader ethnic violence during these massacres, the specific suffering of women — who were subjected to extreme forms of violence — has remained largely underexplored. Thus, the aim of this article is to present a deeper analysis of the violence perpetrated against Armenian women, drawing from survivor testimonies, legal documents, and human rights reports. Research indicates that nearly half of the Armenian victims during these massacres were women, with their ages ranging from teenage girls to elderly women in their 80s and 90s. Armenian women were not only killed or injured, but many were also subjected to horrific forms of violence, including torture, rape, public humiliation, and other acts intended to degrade their dignity and destroy their identity. By analyzing these crimes through the lens of gender violence, this article seeks to classify the violence against Armenian women as a specific form of atrocity within the broader context of ethnic conflict.
Tag Archives: Azerbaijan
THE FORMATION OF THE ANTI-ARMENIAN CONCEPT OF “WESTERN AZERBAIJAN” IN POST-SOVIET AZERBAIJAN
After the 44-day Artsakh war in 2020, Azerbaijan uses the process of normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations not to achieve long-term peace, but to impose its vision of the future of the region on Armenia, simultaneously applying the entire set of tools of both military and diplomatic pressure.
Under these conditions, the anti-Armenian concept of “Western Azerbaijan”, which had been constructed by the state since the 1990s but had limited significance and application before the 44-day war, was brought out of its marginal status and endowed with new strategic importance and uses. The visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the building of the so-called “Western Azerbaijan Community” organization on December 24, 2022 and his extensive programme speech marked the new role of the “Western Azerbaijan” concept in Azerbaijan’s strategy towards Armenia. Since 2022, this concept has begun to be actively exploited by the state in the process of solving both external and internal problems facing Azerbaijan after the war, becoming the cornerstone of a new large-scale anti-Armenian campaign.
The article examines the historical roots of the territorial notions and ambitions underlying the anti-Armenian concept of “Western Azerbaijan”, examines the prerequisites for the formation of the anti-Armenian concept of “Western Azerbaijan” in post-Soviet Azerbaijan and the main stages of its development, and reveals the main goals, spheres, and tools of the state’s application of the concept after the 44-day Artsakh war.
A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT OF EUROPEAN ARMENOLOGY
Contemporary Armenian studies were enriched in 2024 by a valuable new German-language publication, co-authored by distinguished Armenologists, German Professor Tessa Hofmann and Norwegian Dr. Winfried K. Dallmann. The substantial volume, titled “Das geopolitische Schicksal Armeniens. Vergangenheit und Gegenwart” (“The Geopolitical Fate of Armenia: Past and Present”), is original and highly significant from multiple perspectives. First and foremost, the book presents a comprehensive history of the Armenian people from the earliest times to the present day. Importantly, it provides scholarly and compelling interpretations of issues related to different historical periods, issues on which the perspectives of foreign researchers at times lacked objectivity. Secondly, the work is structured two parts and comprises eighteen chapters. The first part presents the millennia-long history of the Armenian people up to the declaration of independence of the Third Republic of Armenia, while the second part, consisting of eight chapters, covers the events of the following thirty-five years. This testifies to the authors’ recognition of the importance of the modern period, marked by both triumph and tragedy, challenges, victories and defeats, as well as a host of unresolved issues. Central of this era lies the Artsakh conflict and the developments directly related to and surrounding it.
Another important merit of the book is the fact that the narrative is thoroughly mapped out. In other words, when presenting Armenia across different historical periods, the authors include corresponding maps, which make the material more concrete and render the authors’ conclusions and generalizations more compelling and irrefutable.
The work, which offers a comprehensive account not only of Armenia and the Artsakh conflict but also of the history of the Armenian diaspora, serves as a unique encyclopedia or textbook for anyone seeking deep and thorough knowledge of these subjects, as well as of the regional and international developments that have unfolded in these contexts.