On February 27–29, 1988, massacres of Armenians took place in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait. With Moscow’s permission and Baku’s encouragement, a mob of criminals armed with metal rods stormed the Armenian quarter. Several dozen according to official data Armenians were tortured and brutally killed.
The Soviet authorities not only failed to properly investigate this crime, but also insisted on maintaining “parity” at the level of propaganda. The core message was that both Armenians and Azerbaijanis were equally responsible for what had happened—or even that the Armenians bore slightly more blame. After all, Gorbachev’s perestroika was supposedly being exploited by a group of “adventurers and extremists” who were trying to redraw borders by raising the Karabakh issue. (Interestingly, these same formulations seem to resonate with Armenia’s current authorities.)
This idea of “parity” reminds me of the position taken by certain “neutral” commentators when it comes to our internal political conflicts: both sides are to blame. This stance is especially common in the NGO sector, which of course has its own “logic.” Yes, breaking people’s heads with clubs, using “Zarya” grenades against peaceful demonstrators, or sending a gang of toughs from the Civic Contract party to attack opposition MPs is wrong—but since today’s opposition is “pro-Russian” and supposedly wants to “turn Armenia into a province,” then somehow it’s not that wrong.
But in reality, you cannot place an equal sign between the two sides.
Take the recent brawl in parliament. Let’s suppose both sides hurled the same number of curses and landed the same number of slaps. What really matters is this: which side has the “army” behind it—the police, the security services, and the “lion cubs” who fight from behind their protection? And if that fight leads to legal consequences, who ends up being prosecuted?
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There can be no equality between those who hold the baton—through the police, the prosecutor’s office, and the courts—and those who do not. Because we see clearly: that baton is used daily to settle political and personal scores.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
