Opinion: Traitors are axed in Azerbaijan
The pogroms of Armenians in Sumgait was the continuation of Turkey's ideology of creating the Turan, the Great Turkish Empire, says Hrayr Ulubabyan, co-author of "Genocide, Publicity, Sumgait" book.
Mr Ulubabyan is unable to restrain his resentment every time he speaks about the Sumgait Massacre.
"They organized demonstrations to instill hatred in the local population against Armenians. Everything was done openly with extreme cruelty," Ulubabyan told reporters on Feb. 27.
Gevorg Danielyan, Board Chairman of the Center of the Constitutional Law, says Armenians should make the struggle for the recognition of the Sumgait pogroms more unified and conscious.
Mr Danielyan cannot understand the excitement caused by Stone Dreams, a short novel written by Azerbaijan's most eminent writer Akram Aylisli.
"Those who have read the book did not understand its true meaning. This is another trick of Azerbaijan's diplomacy. I do not believe that the writer is really subjected to harassment because traitors are usually axed in Azerbaijan," he said.
"Stone Dreams" describes the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, detailing the massacres of Armenians by Azeris and portraying the tragedy of war from Armenia's perspective.
It tells the story of two Azerbaijani men and their efforts to protect their Armenian neighbours during the Sumgait and Baku pogroms in the closing years of the Soviet Union.
The leading character of the book, an Azerbaijan actor, is in coma; he had been beaten up for his efforts to help an Armenian old man from the hands of an angry mob.
