Memory of Black January martyrs commemorated [PHOTO/VIDEO]

By Laman Ismayilova

Memory of Black January martyrs has been commemorated in Azerbaijan and abroad.

On January 20, 1990, hundreds of civilians were crushed or injured by the Soviet troops in Baku, upon an order from the USSR leadership that was trying to maintain the Communist regime in Azerbaijan and strangle the national liberation movement.

The invasion was launched at midnight and was committed with brutality. Some 137 people were killed, 611 were wounded, 841 were illegally arrested, and five went missing as a result of the intrusion of troops into Baku and other regions of the country.

The memory of Black January victims was commemorated at the State Philharmonic Hall.

The concert featured works by eminent composers Tofig Guliyev, Gara Garayev, Gabriel Fauré, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi  and many others.

The Philarmonic Hall also displayed art works by students of the Republican Art Gymnasium under the Azerbaijan National Conservatory 

The exposition displayed 20 works by young artists who reflected the horror and pain of Black January tragedy.

Another concert has been held in France. The virtual concert dedicated to the 31st anniversary of the January 20 took place in the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Paris.

Members of the Azerbaijani Diaspora Mahir Ismayilov (drums) and Jeyhun Aydinoglu (balaban) sang the folk song "Sari Galin", "Lachin", Fikrat Amirov's "Song of the Blind Arab" and Tofig Guliyev's "Evening Song" and other music pieces.

The virtual concert was co-organized by the Azerbaijani Embassy in France, the Permanent Delegation of Azerbaijan to UNESCO and the Coordination Council of Azerbaijanis in France.

Azerbaijan State Art Gallery has open a virtual exhibition "Glorious History".

The project is dedicated to Black January tragedy, imprinted in the memory of the Azerbaijani people forever.

The exposition includes works of Azerbaijani artists Faig Ahmadov, Eyyub Huseynov, Rafael Muradov, Nazim Rakhmanov, Rasim Babayev and others. Notably, all these works are kept in the gallery's fund. 

A virtual conference has been also held in Baku.

The conference was moderated by Head of the Science Department of the Scientific-Cultural Center, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology Irada Musayeva, Head of the Department of Historiography and Methodology Anar Isgandarov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Solmaz Rustamova-Tohidi, Doctor of Philosophy in History Ilgar Niftaliyev.

The speakers noted that the events of January 20 were not only one of the worst tragedies in the history of Azerbaijan, but also a glorious page. They praised the bravery and patriotic spirit of Azerbaijani people.

Poems of schoolchildren were also presented as part of the conference.

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