Azerbaijan marks 34d Anniversary of Black January

It has been 34 years since the harrowing night of January 19-20, 1990, when a 35,000-strong army corps, following orders from the Soviet leadership, forcefully entered Baku. This invasive act resulted in numerous civilian casualties, marking a tragic chapter in the struggle for Azerbaijani independence. The Soviet army's incursion into Baku was orchestrated to quell the burgeoning national liberation movement, particularly to thwart the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for March 1990.

The intended purpose of this military intervention was to salvage the communist regime in Azerbaijan and suppress the rising influence of the Popular Front movement. At the time, the Popular Front was a unified opposition movement, as separate opposition parties had not yet emerged. The regime's fear of an unequivocal victory for the Popular Front in the anticipated elections fueled the decision to resort to force.

Amid the national liberation fervor that had captured the minds of the masses, the punitive actions of the Soviet regime resulted in thousands of arrests. Leaders of the Popular Front were detained or isolated, and martial law was imposed across the country. Notably, the election season unfolded differently in the South Caucasus, where opposition movements controlled the streets.

While elections were held in the winter and spring of 1990 in the former Soviet republics, the autumn elections in Azerbaijan faced blatant interference. The fall elections in Armenia and Georgia saw the opposition securing victories. In Armenia, a near-parity was established with a slight advantage for the Communists. In Azerbaijan, however, where elections occurred under Communist Party control and duress, the opposition managed to secure only 45 out of 360 parliamentary seats.

The barbaric operation on January 20, 1990, was meticulously devised and executed by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the KGB of the USSR. Codenamed "Udar" (Strike), the operation assigned a pivotal role to the ALPHA special forces group and the KGB sabotage groups of the USSR.

The tragic events of that night left an indelible mark on Azerbaijani history, symbolizing the resilience of a nation aspiring for freedom and self-determination.

One of the justifications for the deployment of troops was the Armenian pogroms provoked by the special services, which took place on January 13-15, but by the time the troops entered, they had stopped. The Popular Front and the forces sympathetic to the movement in the government structures managed to stop the violence. 

As a result of the occupation of Baku, 134 civilians were killed and more than 700 people were injured. 13 more person were killed in Neftechala and Jalilabad towns.

Note that this year's official propaganda calls the main culprits of the tragedy the leaders of the former USSR, and, in particular, President Mikhail Gorbachev. At the same time, they have markedly decreased criticism of the then government of the republic. Whereas in the previous years, as one of the culprits of the tragedy, they named Ayaz Mutalibov, the then Chairman of the Council of Ministers (and after the tragic events the first person in the country), now they do not say that. Perhaps this is due to the "rehabilitation" of Mutalibov. In 2012, he was able to come to Baku to attend the funeral of his son, and the entry into force of the law on ex-Presidents will let Mutalibov finally come back from years of exile.

Note that none of the government of the former USSR and Azerbaijan SSR has been brought to justice for the tragedy.

The Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan on February 14, 1992 filed a criminal case under several articles of the then Criminal Code: 94 (premeditated murder under aggravating circumstances), 149 (intentional destruction of property), 168 (abuse of power and authority), 255 (use and abuse of power).

After Heydar Aliyev"s coming to power in Azerbaijan, the country's parliament gave political and legal assessment of the January events. Responsibility for this was given to the former Soviet leaders, including Mikhail Gorbachev, the former first secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan SSR Abdurahman Vezirov and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Ayaz Mutallibov. At the same time, the name of Eugene Primakov was removed from the list of culprits of the tragedy.

The Prosecutor General's Office of the USSR, which conducted the initial investigation, stated that there was no corpus delicti in the actions of the military and dismissed the case. B post-Soviet period d requests were sent to Russian law enforcement agencies requesting the transfer of materials on this case to Azerbaijan, as well as the extradition of the accused persons. However, the Russian side did not respond to this.