President Ilham Aliyev attends ceremony to commemorate Khojaly genocide victims
By Sara Rajabova
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the Khojaly
genocide, one of the bloodiest crimes in the history of
mankind.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev attended a commemorative
ceremony on the occasion of the Khojaly genocide, committed by
Armenian occupants in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly on February
26, 1992.
A guard of honor was lined up near the Khojaly memorial, Trend reports. President Ilham Aliyev put a wreath at the monument.
Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, Parliamentary Speaker Ogtay Asadov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu laid flowers at the memorial.
The commemorative ceremony was attended by state and government officials, MPs, ministers, heads of committees and companies, leaders of religious confessions, as well as Khojaly massacre survivors.
In 1992, the town of Khojaly came under intense fire from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by the Armenian armed forces. 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent.
Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, the fate of 150 of them remains unknown. Many civilians were shot at close range, scalped or burned alive.
Thousands of Baku residents arrived at the Khojaly memorial on February 26 to pay tribute to victims of the genocide on its 23rd anniversary.