November 8 gathering demands freedom for Armenian hostages, the right of return for displaced Artsakh Armenians, and accountability by Azerbaijan

GLENDALE—Armenian community members gathered in Glendale on Sunday evening for the “United for Artsakh” rally, silent march, and candlelight vigil, reaffirming their commitment to the release of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, the right of return for the forcibly displaced people of Artsakh, and the defense of Artsakh’s Armenian identity and heritage.

Organized under the leadership of the Armenian Youth Federation Western United States, the gathering took place on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the November 9, 2020, trilateral ceasefire agreement that ended the 44-day Artsakh War. The subsequent Azerbaijani blockade and military offensive in September 2023 resulted in the forced displacement of virtually the entire Armenian population of Artsakh.

The rally began at 5 p.m. at the intersection of Artsakh Street and Broadway, where participants assembled to hear remarks from Armenian community, political, and religious representatives before proceeding in a silent march to St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church on Central Avenue for a candlelight vigil.

Rev. Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, the former priest of Artsakh’s historic Dadivank Monastery, opened the gathering with a prayer. Currently serving at the Yerablur Military Pantheon in Armenia, where many of the nation’s fallen soldiers are laid to rest, Rev. Hovhannisyan brought with him the Holy Cross of Dadivank, a powerful symbol of Artsakh’s Armenian Christian heritage and the enduring spiritual connection between its displaced people and their ancestral homeland.

Satig Seraydarian delivered the opening and closing remarks on behalf of the Armenian Youth Federation Western United States, emphasizing the responsibility of Armenian youth to continue advocating for Artsakh and ensuring that the plight of its people is neither forgotten nor abandoned.

Speaking on behalf of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western United States, Vicken Sosikian delivered a sharply critical address condemning the government of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for what he characterized as its abdication of responsibility toward Artsakh and its people. His remarks underscored the conviction that the Armenian national struggle for Artsakh cannot be abandoned or subordinated to the political priorities of any administration.

Alyosha Petrosyan, representing the Artsakh Preservation Committee in Los Angeles, also addressed the gathering, bringing the perspective of the displaced Artsakh Armenian community and its continuing struggle for justice, recognition, and the restoration of its rights.

Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian expressed his solidarity with the people of Artsakh, emphasizing that his presence reflected unity around their fundamental rights, regardless of the positions or actions taken by political leaders elsewhere. His remarks reinforced the importance of continued advocacy from Armenian communities in the Diaspora, particularly in Glendale, home to one of the largest Armenian populations outside Armenia.

Reverend Movses Shannakian offered remarks on behalf of St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church, adding the voice of the Armenian Church to the gathering’s message of solidarity and national responsibility.

Following the rally, participants marched silently through Glendale toward St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church, where the evening concluded with a candlelight vigil and prayers for the Armenian prisoners still held in Azerbaijan, the displaced families of Artsakh, and those who sacrificed their lives defending the homeland.

At the church courtyard, Rev. Hovhannisyan delivered particularly forceful closing remarks, declaring that those who do not believe in and defend the rights of the Armenian people of Artsakh cannot rightfully call themselves Armenian. His message emphasized that defending Artsakh is not merely a political position, but a fundamental national and moral responsibility.

The presence of the Holy Cross of Dadivank gave the vigil particular significance, connecting the participants in Glendale with one of Artsakh’s most revered Armenian religious sites, now inaccessible to its Armenian faithful.

The November 8 gathering also followed a formal letter dated November 5, addressed to the Consul General of Azerbaijan by the Armenian Youth Federation and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Shant Student Association. The letter demanded the immediate release of all Armenian hostages and detainees held in Azerbaijani custody, an explanation of the legal basis for their continued detention, independent humanitarian access, and assurances of treatment consistent with international law.

Citing Paragraph 8 of the November 9, 2020, ceasefire agreement, which provides for the exchange of prisoners of war, hostages, and other detained persons, the organizations challenged Azerbaijan’s continued detention of Armenians six years after the agreement.

The letter further declared that Armenian youth would continue pursuing accountability for the treatment of Artsakh’s people, the restoration of their rights, and their safe return to their ancestral homes.

The rally’s central demands extended beyond the release of prisoners to include the internationally recognized right of displaced Artsakh Armenians to return to their homeland, the preservation and restitution of Armenian cultural and religious heritage, and the defense of the collective rights of the Armenian people of Artsakh.

Sunday’s gathering demonstrated the continuing determination of the Armenian Diaspora to keep Artsakh at the forefront of the national agenda, regardless of changing political circumstances in Armenia or the region.

Six years after the 2020 ceasefire agreement, and more than three years after the forced displacement of Artsakh’s Armenian population, the message delivered from Glendale was one of continued resolve: the Armenian hostages must be freed, the displaced people of Artsakh must be allowed to return to their homes, and the Armenian people’s rights cannot be erased by the passage of time or the decisions of governments.