In Miami, pro-Azerbaijan protesters decry civilian deaths over disputed territory

A group of pro-Azerbaijani protesters gathered near the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami on Sunday afternoon, decrying what they say is aggression from Armenians over escalating tensions between the two former Soviet countries.

The renewed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in late September, when the two countries revived a feud over the long-disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. While it is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, it has been inhabited by majority ethnic Armenians since the early 1990s.

And even though the territory declared itself as an independent country, the Republic of Artsakh, Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence is not internationally recognized. Some estimates suggest as many as over 1,000 soldiers and civilians have been killed since the fighting ensued this fall, while both countries blame each other for failing to abide by cease-fire deals.

“It’s not the soldiers, it’s not the base of soldiers. They attack the civilians. ... That’s why we’re here,” said Tohfa Eminova, 49, who is the founder and president of the Azerbaijani American Cultural Association of Florida.

Eminova said that much of the fighting from Armenian troops over Nagorno-Karabakh, a decades-long conflict, has spread to cities, killing Azerbaijani and Armenian citizens alike.

“In my family, we haven’t lost anyone... but we have an injured [relative]. What can I do from America? I need to spread out my message to everyone,” she said.

The group of about 50 protesters chanted “Azerbaijan” as several led the group through a loudspeaker. About a dozen of them unfurled a large Azerbaijani flag. Others waved Israeli and Turkish flags, two countries that have publicly allied themselves with Azerbaijan.

For Gulnara Dadashova, 47, who was born and raised in Azerbaijan, the conflict doesn’t represent racist or religious sentiments against Armenians, but rather reclaiming land that she believes belongs to Azerbaijanis.

“This is not a war, this is a liberation,” said Dadashova, who showed up to protest along with her 74-year-old mother. “We’re not saying, ‘Leave.’ We just want to liberate it and bring our people back, and whoever was gone from home for 30 years.”

About a hundred pro-Armenian protesters held a massive demonstration in South Beach last week, blaming Azerbaijan over civilian deaths and calling for the international community to recognize Artsakh as an independent country.

This prompted many of Sunday’s attendees to show up to tell their side of the story.

“Twenty percent of our land has been under occupation,” said Javid Rzayev, 33. “We want the world to believe us, to trust us.”

Pro-Azerbaijani and pro-Armenian protesters have gathered in other U.S. cities like Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 6:29 PM.