Los Angeles Declares November 9 as a Day of Remembrance for Victims of Azerbaijani Aggression Against Artsakh

The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously passed a resolution expressing its support for the population of the Republic of Artsakh. According to Armenpress, citing Massis Post, the resolution was introduced by council members Paul Krekorian and Mitch O'Farrell.

The resolution states that the city of Los Angeles has consistently supported the people of Artsakh, who are "ethnically and culturally Armenian and indigenous to the region, and who courageously declared their independence from the Soviet Union and the Azerbaijani Soviet Republic nearly 30 years ago, maintaining democratic self-governance since then."

The resolution also addresses the war unleashed by Azerbaijan in September 2020, mentioning: "On September 27, 2020, the armed forces of Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack on the Republic of Artsakh, coordinating actions with Turkey and receiving its support, thus completely nullifying a 30-year ceasefire and resuming a large-scale war. The goal was to destroy and ethnically cleanse the indigenous Armenian population and to seize the independence of the Republic of Artsakh by force."

It emphasizes that Azerbaijan deliberately targeted the civilian population in Artsakh, using heavy weapons including drones, missiles, and heavy artillery, resulting in devastation, casualties, and the displacement of a large number of Artsakh residents.

"Azerbaijan's armed forces and its hired terrorists have committed horrific war crimes and massacres, including the murder, torture, and mutilation of civilians and prisoners of war," the members of the Los Angeles City Council noted. They also recorded that throughout the entire invasion, Azerbaijan terrorized the civilian population using internationally banned weapons such as cluster bombs and white phosphorus.

"With the adoption of this resolution, the city of Los Angeles honors and mourns the death of thousands of individuals who fell victim to this aggression and proclaims November 9 as a day of remembrance and commemoration for the victims of Azerbaijan's aggression against the Republic of Artsakh," the resolution states.

The council members decided that since the city of Shushi is now illegally under Azerbaijani control, they are temporarily suspending the "sister city" status with Shushi. They pledged to restore this status when the city is free from Azerbaijani conquest.