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In 1982 Hampig Sassounian, a 19-year old AYF member from the Pasadena "Nigol Touman" Chapter, was falsely arrested for the murder of the Los Angeles Turkish Consulate. Sassounian was convicted even though the prosecution could not provide evidence, which proved he was guilty. The case of Hampig Sassounian caused the community to unite for one goal that represented the Armenians and their centuries old struggle for the establishment of a free, independent, and united Armenia. Other similar cases that involved the AYF members followed, such as the LA Five, which continued to cause more interest in the Armenian Youth.
==MODERN TIMESСовременнность==
In the late 1980's and the early 1990's the AYF found a new challenge: Karabagh. In 1988 the struggle for independence in the Karabagh region started. AYF became involved in ffund raisingactivities to supply much-needed funds to the people in Karabagh. Many AYF members throughout the world even fought for the Armenian land. Even after the independence of Nagorno-Karabagh in 1991 and the cease-fire in 1993, the AYF continued to help Karabagh. In 1994 the AYF Western Region decided to create a program, called the AYF Youth Corps, that sent about ten youths that year and continues to send up to 15 each summer. The mission of the Youth Corps is to help rebuild schools, camps, churches, etc. in the various regions of Nagorno-Karabagh.
Nowadays the AYF continues its faithful mission of promoting cultural awareness, stimulating political activity, and providing education to its respective regions. The future of the AYF and its surrounding Armenian communities will be bright and glorious, but only with the support and involvement of the entire Armenian community.