Contact: info[AT]usazeris.org
U.S. AZERIS NETWORK (USAN) COMMEMORATES "BLACK JANUARY", WELCOMES MORE POLITICAL RECOGNITION AND MEDIA EXPOSURE
The U.S. Azeris Network (USAN) commemorates the "Black January", referring to the January 19-20, 1990, tragedy that happened in Baku, Azerbaijan, when some 500 innocent civilians were killed and crushed by Soviet tanks on the orders of then-Soviet President and the Secretary General of the USSR Communist Party, Mikhail S. Gorbachev. The former Soviet leader went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize that same year, October 15, 1990, showing the international community's complete blindness to the suffering of the predominantly Muslim Azerbaijani nation from the massive aggression underway since the end of 1987, when first Azerbaijani refugees from Armenia started to appear. For the Azerbaijani people, the tragedy of Black January is viewed within the larger context of the occupation of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan by the Armenian forces.
This year, the Azerbaijani-American and the wider Turkic-American community has been able to achieve the publication or planned publication of numerous articles on the Black January in the newspapers across the United States, such as in North Dakota, Colorado and California. Additionally, the following official recognition was offered by the Virginia State Senator Mark Herring to an USAN and USTN member on January 18, 2010:
"Thank you for writing and sharing information regarding the tragedy of "Black January". Senator Herring would be happy to join with the Azerbaijani-American community in a moment of silence to commemorate the victims.
Here is a statement from the Senator that you may feel free to share with members of your community:
"On this the 20th anniversary of the of "Black January" events that marked the beginning of the end of Soviet rule in Azerbaijan, I join with those in the Azerbaijani-American community in commemorating the victims of those tragic events. By honoring their sacrifice, we celebrate the timeless commitment to freedom and democracy which is the hope of all people."
USAN is thanking Sen. Herring and all other elected officials for their support and words of condolences. If you have received similar letters, or have had your USAN letter published, please notify us at info[AT]usazeris.org. USAN is expressing its deep sorrow and condolences to all of the Black January victims and their families.
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To register in the USAN action database, and send out any or all of pre-written letters, do the following:
1) Go to URL: http://action.usazeris.org
2) Click on any of the letters you see and find relevant or interesting to you
3) Click on the orange "Take Action" button at the bottom of the webpage
4) If you are a new user, fill out the form that you see. If you have already registered before, then click on the "Returning users click here"
5) Enter your email address and zip code that you used when you registered. REMEMBER IT! 6) You are ready to send your letter which you can further customize and modify if you wish. In a few days or weeks you should get a formal response from your elected officials with their response to your concern. Please share it with USAN -- info[at]usazeris.org (substitute [at] with this symbol: @ ).
