Armenia Responsible for Khojaly

Baku / 24.02.18 / Turan: Armenia is responsible for numerous war crimes against Azerbaijan and crimes against humanity, as well as acts of genocide.

This is stated in a joint statement of the Foreign Ministry and the Prosecutor General's Office on the occasion of the anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy.

It says that during the war that began in the late 1980s, the occupation of the town of Khojaly was especially tragic. The document notes that prior to the conflict the Khojaly population was 7,000 people, but since October 1991 the town was besieged by Armenia and occupied with the help of the 366th motorized rifle regiment of the former USSR.

"As a result of the Khojaly genocide 5,379 inhabitants were deported, 613, including 63 children and 106 women were brutally killed, 8 families were completely annihilated, 487 people were injured, 1,275 were captured and taken hostage. The fate of 150 hostages, including 26 children, is still unknown. Due to the occupation of Khojaly by Armenian armed units, the Azerbaijani state and citizens suffered damage amounting to 170 million US dollars," the document says.

The joint statement notes that the Military Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan has fully proved the participation of a number of servicemen and others in the Khojaly genocide.

"As a result of the investigation about 7,000 episodes of the Khojaly genocide were found out. This included interrogation of 4,241 people, of whom 1,693 were questioned as witnesses, and 2,548 as victims. More than 800 different examinations were carried out. The European Court of Human Rights in its decision of April 22, 2010, in relation to the crime committed in Khojaly, equated the actions of the participants in the attack with war crimes as well as crimes against humanity."

The conclusion emphasizes that Azerbaijan is confident that the war criminals will be brought before a fair court for serious crimes committed by them against the backdrop of Armenia's aggression. -0-