Armenian atrocities
Sir: We are writing in connection with an article 'The Caucasian National Front' (28 October).
While the article gives some examples of the hardships suffered by Azeries in Arme- nia or in their way from Armenia to Azerbaijan, it only makes a passing remark about the refugees' tales of 'the suffering of Armenians forced from their homes in orgies of mob violence'. It ignores the fact that the violence was started by Azeries
and not in autumn 1988 as the article states, but in February of the same year and that as many as 300 Armenians were reportedly killed by the end of March 1988. It also makes no reference to the back- ground of the conflict, and while making a reference to the petition of Karabakh Armenians asking for the return of Kara- bakh to Soviet Armenia as early as in 1963-64, it omits the fact that Armenians in Karabakh had lived under intolerable con- ditions of cultural oppression and econo- mic discrimination since Karabakh was made part of Soviet Azerbaijan. We believe that in order to understand the situation as it is now, historical facts, as, well as the events of the last two years Will have to be put and discussed in the right perspective. Otherwise the picture will be false and misleading.
A. Hovhannissian
Armenian National Committee PO Box 183, London W5
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