Azerbaijanis Mark Anniversary of Khojaly Tragedy

Baku/26.02.21/Turan: For the first time since the tragic night on February 26, 1992, when the combined Armenian and Soviet armed forces shot the residents of the Karabakh city of Khojaly, Azerbaijanis celebrate the 29th anniversary with different feelings. The Azerbaijani army, inflicting a crushing defeat on Armenia, liberated most of the territories occupied in 1992-1993. And the trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020 gives reason to expect the complete de-occupation of the entire Karabakh.

A few days before the Khojaly genocide, on February 17, 1992, in the village of Garadaghly, the Khojavend region, 67 civilians, including children, women and the elderly, were killed with particular cruelty. Not satisfied with this, the armed Armenians and servicemen of the 366th regiment of the Soviet Army attacked the city of Khojaly on the night of February 25-26, killing 613 people there and fleeing from the city.

Of the killed 63 were children, 106 were women, and 70 were elderly;

8 families were completely destroyed;

25 children lost both parents;

130 children lost one parent;

487 people were wounded (including 76 children);

People who were taken hostage – 1,275 people;

Missing - 150 people.

Since then, Azerbaijan has been conducting a worldwide campaign Justice for Khojaly, declaring the genocide that has taken place. The Khojaly massacre is recognized and marked by acts of parliament adopted in ten countries and 21 states of the United States of America. The number of countries that have expressed recognition of this tragedy in various forms is increasing every year.

On February 25, 2021, in connection with the 29th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, a statement was posted on the website of the British House of Representatives expressing condolences to the Azerbaijani people. The authors of the statement are members of the House of Representatives, Chairman of the UK-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Working Group, member of the Conservative Party Bob Blackman and member of the Democratic Unionist Party Jim Shannon.

The statement reads: “On behalf of the House of Representatives, we respectfully honor the memory of the people who died in the massacres of Azerbaijani citizens during the conflict in the region, and express our condolences to the people of Azerbaijan, who honors the 29th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre on February 26. The statement also expresses support for the efforts of the parties to achieve long-term peace.

On the initiative of the Azerbaijani diaspora organizations operating in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, international postage stamps were issued on the eve of the 29th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide. The stamps reflect the date of the Khojaly genocide and the demand "#justiceforkhojaly" (Justice for Khojaly!).

The collection of signatures for the petition within the framework of the international campaign “Justice for Khojaly. The goal of the campaign is the recognition of the Khojaly genocide, bringing to justice those who committed it. The petition is addressed to international organizations, international courts and foreign ministries of various countries.

It contains a demand to give a legal assessment of this crime committed by the Armenian authorities, as well as a call to bring to justice the criminals who committed the Khojaly tragedy and to recognize this tragedy as genocide.

Recently, the representation of Azerbaijan to the UN has addressed the UN Secretary General with a letter in connection with the anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy. The letter says that 29 years ago, during the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, a massacre of the civilian population of the city of Khojaly, located in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, was committed. The letter notes that another provocation of Armenia was committed on September 27, 2020. The document emphasizes that Armenia bears responsibility in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and other international documents. — 0—