“Special Status” Curfew Declared
Original Source: TASS, 21 September 1988.
N. Demidov (special correspondent, Pravda) Stepanakert. -The situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, which has deteriorated as a result of clashes between Armenians and Azerbaijanians, remains tense. Despite measures being taken to prevent interethnic incidents, cases of arson against private homes and cars as well as other illegal activities took place again last night. Shots were fired in some places. There were no casualties. But all this still generated tension and many people in Stepanakert and in rural areas are expressing concern about their security. Factories, building organizations, transport and schools were not working in Stepanakert. Party bodies and local governing council together with social organizations are seek to restore economic activity and bring the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous oblast and neighboring districts back to normal.
The representative of the CPSU Central Committee and the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet in Nagorno-Karabakh, Arkadii Volskii, spoke on local televislon and radio in connection with the situation. He said, inter alia: “The Party and government have adopted a number of important decisions to develop the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and resolve as soon as possible various problems that have accumulated here. ”But this does not apparently suit a certain group of people. “The situation in the region over recent days has been sharply aggravated. Strikes have started at factories, in building organizations and on public transport. Classes have been dlscontinued at schools. “There have been unauthorized rallies and marches. An attack has been provoked on the regional public prosecutor’s office. Insults have been made against organs of power. There were cases where the dignity of Interior Ministry troops and militiamen ensuring public order was denigrated.”
With regard to the existing situation, a state of emergency and a curfew are being introduced on the territory of Stepanakert and Agdam District as of September 21. Every essential measure is being taken to ensure public calm and security, public order and strict respect for socialist legality. The bureau of the Nagorno-Karabakh oblast Party committee and the executive committee of the oblast soviet of people’s deputies issued an appeal to the Communists and all the working people of Nagorno-Karabakh, urging them to retain self-control and soberness, to show civic maturity and patience, and not to yield to provocations under any circumstances. “All the arising issues and problems need to be tackled in an atmosphere of legality. The events of the past few days have been developing under a scenario written by provocateurs seeking to destabilize the situation and whip up tension, by those eager to compromise perestroika and democracy and push us off the right path,” the appeal said. It added: “In the situation that has come to exist any rallies, demonstrations, marches and meetings can exacerbate the situation even further. Proceeding from this, the regional party committee and (the regional governing council’s) executive committee consider such activities at present inadmissible.”
Source: Moscow TASS in English, 1646 GMT.
Source: Soviet Multinational State: readings and documents, ed. Martha B. Olcott with Lubomyr Hajda and Anthony Olcott. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 1990.