karabakh genocide

karabakh genocide

RESOLUTION OF MILLI MAJLIS (NATIONAL ASSEMBLY) OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN On the Day of Khojaly Genocide

Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan discussed suggestion of the Milli Majlis’s commission on relations with refugees and compatriots living abroad on Khojaly genocide implemented by Armenian aggressors resolves:

1. Every year on February 26 to commemorate Khojaly events of February 26 1992 organized by Armenian aggressors and became the tragedy of the Azerbaijani people and bloody page in the history of humanity as the “Day of Khojaly genocide” and inform the international organizations about it.

2. With the purpose to inform of truth on Khojaly events to the peoples of the world and to commemorate the “Day of Khojaly genocide” on the international scale to appeal to the Azerbaijanis to the world.

Baku city, February 24, 1994

Appeal to the all Azerbaijanis of the world

Dear compatriots, countrymen!

The war has been waged on the land of Azerbaijan - the sacred Motherland of our ancestors, on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan already for 6 years. Aggressive armed forces of the Republic of Armenia, beguiling the mind of Armenian people by dreams about “Great Armenia”, with open and latent assistance of some countries occupied 12 districts of our country. The enemy destroys our villages and cities, commits inconceivable crimes and brutality on our lands, which have no precedent in the history of humanity. Khojaly genocide is irrefutable evidence of this.

The terrible tragedy of Khojaly city and its inhabitants took place on February 26 1992 is the most shocking event of the XXth century witness of which became the humanity. This brutality was implemented by Armenian fascists with assistance of infantry guards regiment No 366 of former Soviet Army. That day hangmen pitiless killed defenseless peaceful civilians - the elders, women, children and dumb babies. Armenian fascists scalped the heads of dead people, put out their eyes, cut off various parts of their bodies, buried the live people, and burnt out them. By such actions they showed that they deserve hatred of all people irrespective of their faith, nationality, race.

The tragedy took place in Khojaly on February 26 1992 is the genocide against our nation. 335 people of 5 thousand of peaceful population of the city became the shehids (martyrs), 6 families were killed completely, 421 people were wounded, 150 were missing and taken as hostages, 25 children became the orphan lost both parents, 130 children lost one of their parents. Khojaly city was plundered and burnt, 3 schools, a hospital, 3 aid posts, 3 clubs, 3 kindergartens and other buildings were entirely destroyed. As a result of Khojaly city destroying the damage worth multi-billions rubles was done to the state and personal property of the citizens.

The second anniversary of the tragedy in Khojaly will be commemorate on the state level this year, our people commemorates this date with sorrow. Milli Majlis (National Assembly) of the Republic of Azerbaijan adopted resolution on declaration of February 26 as “The Day of Khojaly genocide” that henceforth will commemorate every year.

By this appeal addressing to all Azerbaijanis of the world Milli Majlis of the Republic calls all our compatriots, countrymen united by one Motherland - Azerbaijan to commemorate February 26 as “The day of Khojaly genocide”. Milli Majlis is confident that Azerbaijanis of the world support this appeal, use all opportunities to inform the public of the countries where they live about those terrors that Armenian occupants implemented against our people during their aggressive war against Azerbaijan, and in that way they join to our struggle for liberation of our native lands from enemy.

Adopted by Milli Majlis
of the Republic of Azerbaijan

on February 24, 1994

Armenians killed 1000, Azeris charge.

THE BOSTON GLOBE March 3, 1992
By Paul Quinn-Judge
(Front page headline)

BAKU, Azerbaijan-Azerbaijan charged yesterday that Armenian militants massacred men, women and children after forcing them from a town in Nagorno-Karabagh last week.

Azerbaijani officials said 1000 Azeris had been killed in town of Khojaly and that Armenian fighters then slaughtered men, women and children fleeing across snow-covered mountain passes.

Armenian officials disputed the death toll and denied the massacre report.

Journalists on the scene said it was difficult to say exactly how many people had been killed in surrounding areas. But a Reuters photographer said he saw two trucks filled with Azeri corpses, and a Russian journalist reported massacre sites elsewhere in the area.

Azeri officials and journalists who flew briefly to the region by helicopter recovered the bodies of three dead children who had been shot in the head, Reuters said, but Armenians prevented them from retrieving more bodies.

In the Azerbaijani capital of Baku,government officials said that communications with Shusha,the last Azeri foothold in Nagorno-Karabagh,were cut yesterday morning. The militant Azerbaijani Popular Front reported that Armenian troops backed by armor and artillery were moving closer to town.

Shusha was shelled again overnight,according to accounts reaching Baku yesterday.

Fighting over the enclave, administered by Azerbaijan but largely populated by ethnic Armenians, has flared into a full scale war over the last month.

In the four years up to this January, some 1000 people are believed to have been killed in the con- flict. Although figures are extremely unreliable, at least several hundreeds people have probably died in the past four weeks.

The Azerbaijani Popular Front has been predicting an attack on Shusha for the last two days. But information on the fighting inside the enclave cannot be confirmed independently.

Officials of both the Azerbaijani government and the Popular Front claim that the final attack on Shusha could be triggered by the withdrawal of the last units of the former Soviet army stationed in Nagorno-Karabagh, the 366th Regiment.

The withdrawal began yesterday, said General Nikolai Popov, commander of the Baku-based 4th Army, in a brief phone interview yesterday.

The Azerbaijan presidential press service, quoting the republic's Ministry of National Security, claimed that commonwealth troops were going to move out through Shusha, destroying the town's defences as they did so.

Popov said he did not know if the regiment would leave through Shusha. Asked who might know this, he answered, "No one's going to tell you." Commonwealth airborne units reportedly have been moved into Nagorno- Karabagh to cover regiment's withdrawal.

Officials in Moscow and Armenia said that the 366th Regiment, based in the regional center of Stepanakert [Hankendi -- Ed.], has been strictly neutral in the fighting.

Azeri sources, however, claim that the 366th has swung actively on the side of Armenians,notably in the capture of last week of the small town of Khojaly, on the road between Stepanakert [Hankendi -- Ed.] and Agdam.

There were growing signs that many civilians were killed during the capture of Khojaly.

Footage shot by Azerbaijan Television Sunday showed about 10 dead bodies, including several women and children, in an improvised morgue in Agdam. An editor at the main television station in Baku said 180 bodies had been recovered so far. A helicopter flying over the vicinity is reported to have seen other corpses, while the BBC quoted a French photographer who said that he had counted 31 dead, including women and children, some who appeared as though they were shot in the head at close range.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Khojaly, Elmar Mamedov, said at a news conference in Baku that 1000 people had died in the attack, 200 more were missing, 300 had been taken hostage, and 200 were injured. Armored personel carriers of the 366th [Regiment -- Ed.] spearheaded the attack, Mamedov charged, and cleared the way for Armenian irregulars.

If Shusha does indeed fall, its loss could send shock waves through Azerbaijani society.

"If we lose this war there will be another one, very quickly," an Azeri businessman predicted yesterday.