25th anniversary of Khojaly genocide honored in Baku
By Rashid Shirinov
An event to honor the memory of victims of the Khojaly Genocide, committed by Armenians during the Karabakh War, was held at the Heydar Aliyev Palace on February 23.
Participants had an opportunity to see photos and literature reflecting the documented facts of the Khojaly Genocide, the press-service of the Palace told Trend.
Khojaly, the second largest town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, came under intense fire by Armenia from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by the Armenian armed forces in 1992.
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, and the fate of 150 of them remains unknown.
Director of the Palace, Honored Cultural Worker Farhad Babayev, addressing the event, said that the Khojaly tragedy is one of the bloodiest in the history of not only Azerbaijan, but also of the world.
He emphasized that thanks to the work done within the ‘Justice for Khojaly’ international campaign significant steps were taken on informing the world about the Khojaly genocide. Parliaments of several countries officially recognized the Khojaly events as genocide and condemned Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan.
Babayev said the Justice for Khojaly campaign is aimed not only at informing the international community about the Khojaly genocide, but it is also a call not to let such tragedies happen in the world anymore.
“The Khojaly genocide must find its legal assessment and the perpetrators must be punished,” Babayev said.
Later, a film devoted to the Khojaly genocide was also screened at the event.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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