Feb 2020

What are we fundraising for?

On September 27, 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, Azerbaijan broke the terms of a 1994 ceasefire agreement and attacked Armenian civilian settlements of Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh.

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Artsakh is a small republic of nearly 150, 000 Armenians who have spent the last 3 decades establishing a democratic republic independent of Azerbaijan’s dictatorship. If Azerbaijan, an oil rich nation of nearly 10 million, conquers this region, these 150, 000 civilians will be at risk of ethnic cleansing.

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The Armenian Canadian Medical Association of Ontario (ACMAO) is a multidisciplinary organization of health care professionals in Ontario, Canada. ACMAO is currently fundraising to purchase medical equipment and medications to support Artsakh.

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Please consider supporting the people of Artsakh by the provision of lifesaving medical aid as they defend their right to peace, security and self-governance.

What is the history of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)?

According to the Charter of the United Nations, self - determination, as in the right to determine one’s own sovereignty, is a basic human right.

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Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, is a region in the south Caucasus that has been populated by the indigenous Armenian population for thousands of years. In 1923, the Soviet Union established control over the area, created the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NAKO), and gave the region indiscriminately to Azerbaijan (A republic first formed in 1918).

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In 1991, in the midst of the collapse of the Soviet Union, a referendum was held in NAKO resulting in

a declaration of independence from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan rejected this declaration, resulting in a war from 1991-1994 between the ethnic Armenians of the region and the Azeris. In 1994 a ceasefire agreement was signed, resulting in control of the region by its ethnic Armenians. Although not officially recognized internationally as an independent country, the people of Artsakh have spent the last 3 decades building a free democratic republic, distinguishing themselves from the dictatorship of Azerbaijan.

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On September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan broke the terms of the ceasefire agreement and attacked several civilian settlements in Artsakh. Since then, there has been escalation of violence, including a direct attack on the capital of Artsakh, Stepanakert. Despite international calls for a return to ceasefire, Azerbaijan continues its campaign, risking the re-emergence of a full blown war over Artsakh.

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If Artsakh falls into Azerbaijan’s hands, could it mean a second Armenian Genocide?

Armenians in Azerbaijan have historically been subject to several incidences of forced displacement and massacres.

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Since the ceasefire agreement of 1994, Azerbaijan’s education system and media strongly promote Armenophobia. For example, in 2004, Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani lieutenant, murdered an Armenian soldier, Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep with an axe. This occurred in Budapest during a Nato Partnership for Peace Program. He was sentenced in Hungary and returned to Azerbaijan to complete his sentence. When he arrived, he received a full pardon, a hero's parade, a promotion, and a paycheck to make up for lost salary while in prison in Hungary. This is the result of Armenophobia in Azerbaijan, promoted by Azerbaijan's government's mentality and policy. Can you imagine what will happen to the ethnic Armenians of Artsakh if it falls into Azerbaijan's hands?

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Furthermore, Turkey, the country responsible for the Armenian Genocide in 1915, is backing Azerbaijan in this attack both through the provision of military equipment and by funding Syrian mercenaries to join the Azerbaijani army.

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Finally, Azerbaijan has always limited freedom of information through the internet. However, since September 27, there have been strict restrictions on all social media, as well as a block on foreign journalists in the country. Such behavior often historically precedes crimes against humanity.

Let’s work together to prevent another genocide.

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Update: NOVEMBER 1, 2020