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The Armenian community is fighting a battle on two fronts. We are fighting against ethnic cleansing and persecution in Nagorno-Karabakh. But we are also fighting for your attention.
On Sept. 27, the Republic of Azerbaijan launched an attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave situated between Armenia and Azerbaijan consisting of a majority of ethnic Armenians. After more than two weeks of ongoing warfare, the conflict has reached new heights. With Azerbaijan refusing to back down and Armenia fighting to defend itself, there is little hope that the end is near.
Over a hundred years ago, the Ottoman Empire took advantage of the international community’s involvement in World War I by committing the first genocide of the twentieth century — the Armenian Genocide. From 1914 to 1923, the Ottoman government unleashed a series of mass murders against Armenians. More than 1.5 million Armenians died. Those who survived were displaced across the world, resulting in a diaspora of nearly ten million people. We are a nation that is sorely divided by space but never by spirit. It is this spirit that has ensured our very existence for all these years.
Today, the Republic of Azerbaijan is using the current state of world affairs as a cover for the extermination of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. The social upheaval regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, upcoming national election and impending Supreme Court confirmation hearings have drowned the gut-wrenching cries of the Armenian community. We are all sobbing and screaming at the top of our lungs. But you are not listening.
The people of Nagorno-Karabakh are fighting for their existence every day. They are fighting for their right to live and fighting for the survival of their culture — a culture which has persevered through genocide, war, famine and persecution. They never experience a moment of peace, for they know that the sounds of raging gunfire can make everything change in an instant.
Before Adolf Hitler embarked on the Holocaust, he referenced the Armenian community in a now-famous speech by asking, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” The Armenian Genocide’s lack of recognition sowed the seeds of Hitler’s “Final Solution.” And so, history repeated itself.
But history should not have repeated itself. The stain of denial has long plagued the world. It will never be fully erased, but under the right conditions, it may gradually fade away. It is up to us to ensure that our stains fade away, and this begins with a mutual understanding of one another. We are all united by the same human dignity. We are all capable of goodness and love. Our differences should not divide us, but rather draw us closer together. Our actions should not harm one another but rather heal one another. Our words should not hurt one another but rather comfort one another.
And so, I urge you to stand in solidarity with our movement. I urge you to be on the right side of history. Most importantly, I urge you to act now so that history does not repeat itself. For if you do not, then who will?
—Ani Khachatryan, Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law student
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