Foreign Ministry and Prosecutor General's Office on the 27th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide

Baku / 25.02.19 / Turan: On February 25, the Foreign Ministry and the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan issued a joint statement in connection with the 27th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

The statement indicated that the seizure of this city in Nagorno-Karabakh on the night of February 25-26 was accompanied by massacres of civilians.

"Before the conflict, this city, located in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, was inhabited by 7,000 people. Since October 1991, it was surrounded by Armenian armed forces. After massive artillery strikes on the night of February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces seized Khojaly with the help of the 366th motorized rifle regiment of the former USSR, committing massacres of civilians," the statement said.

Because of the Khojaly genocide, 5,379 residents of the city were deported, 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women were brutally killed, eight families were completely killed, 487 people were injured, and 1,275 were taken prisoner and hostage. The fate of 150 people, including 68 women and 26 children, is still unknown. Due to the seizure of the city of Khojaly by the armed forces of Armenia, the Azerbaijani state and citizens suffered material damage for 170 million US dollars.

The investigation of the Military Prosecutor"s Office of Azerbaijan fully confirmed the participation of a number of military personnel and other persons in the Khojaly genocide. In their regard, decisions were made to prosecute under the articles on genocide, torture, deportation of the population, violations of international humanitarian law during armed conflict and other crimes.

The national legislatures of 16 states and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation adopted many resolutions resolutely condemning the massacre of civilians in Khojaly and declaring this tragedy an act of genocide. -06D-