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Leyla Aliyeva urges for spreading truth about Khojaly genocide

26 February 2015 19:30 (UTC+04:00)
Leyla Aliyeva urges for spreading truth about Khojaly genocide

By Sara Rajabova

A new media collection dedicated to the Khojaly genocide was released as part of the international campaign ‘Justice for Khojaly’.

The collection titled ‘Justice for Khojaly’, initiated by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, was prepared in connection with the 23rd anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy, the foundation reported.

The media collection offers an incredible insight into the realities of Khojaly massacre, highlighting the horrors and heinous crimes which were committed in the nights of February 25 and February 26 1992.

The collection includes two DVDs, containing Leyla Aliyeva’s video message in connection with the ‘Justice for Khojaly’ campaign and a documentary about the genocide perpetrated against the civilian population of the town of Khojaly by the Armenian armed units with the support of the 366th regiment of the former Soviet army stationed in the city of Khankendi.

The collection also includes a book, a booklet and a flash card containing photos that depict the Khojaly events, as well as a new logo and promotional products of the ‘Justice for Khojaly’ campaign.

Moreover, it contains an electronic presentation, prepared to highlight important points regarding the Khojaly genocide. It is planned to be widely used during various educational activities, especially toward foreign audiences.

The video message by Leyla Aliyeva draws attention to the Khojaly genocide as one of the most tragic events of the 20th century, which sadly the world community was not able to prevent.

The video message also provides information about the details and the conditions in which the tragedy occurred, as well as the consequences of the genocide committed by Armenia against Azerbaijan.

The message underscored the importance of seeking and restoring justice. On this premise Azerbaijan continues to seek world recognition for its martyrs and the return of its land, as per stipulated by the UN Security Council.

“The war that followed this aggression took 30,000 lives, nearly one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons, while thousands of people disappeared without a trace. In the course of this Armenian aggression, the most serious international crimes were committed against Azerbaijan and its population; a small Azerbaijani town of Khojaly became the victim of the most terrifying and shocking crimes,” Leyla Aliyeva said in her video message.

Emphasizing that the Khojaly Genocide exposed the perpetrator’s brutality, Aliyeva also noted that it revealed the bravery and heroism of the people of Khojaly who risked their lives to save friends and neighbors from the massacre. “We must summon the same courage to bring the perpetrators to justice, to ensure that such mass atrocities and genocides never happen again.”

She said the recognition of Khojaly Genocide by legislative bodies in numerous countries “encourages us to continue our path of campaigning for the truth and relieving our sorrow.”

“It also gives us hope that justice will be established and the perpetrators will be held accountable for their actions. We are thankful for this global support and hope that once people hear about the tragedy more nations will join our campaign for justice,” Aliyeva said.

She asked that the truth be set free in order to prevent such massacres in future.

“I ask you to join our campaign, to spread the truth about this tragedy in your own country so that together we can ensure that these acts never happen again! I believe that with your support justice for the Khojaly will be restored!” Leyla Aliyeva said.

The documentary, included to the media collection, shows the similarity of the Khojaly genocide with other genocides recognized in the world, gives information on the genocide’s scale and consequences, and presents relevant maps.

The ‘Justice for Khojaly’ collection, released in the English and Russian languages, will be in the future presented in other languages as well. It will also be a visual aid for those who want to convey to the world the realities about the Khojaly tragedy.

The ‘Justice for Khojaly’ campaign kicked off in 2008 on the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, aimed to spread the realities about the Khojaly genocide, the recognition of this tragedy as genocide committed against the Azerbaijani people.

Up to this day, events dedicated to this tragedy, have been held in over 70 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America. Protests and rallies in front of the parliaments and government agencies of various countries, as well as seminars and conferences were held as part of the events.

Thanks to the ‘Justice for Khojaly’ campaign, the Khojaly genocide has been recognized by a number of states and international organizations.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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