Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijan National Art Museum has hosted a lecture titled "The Khojaly Genocide in Visual Arts" in commemoration of the 34th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy, AzerNEWS reports.

The event opened with the performance of the national anthem, followed by a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan's freedom and territorial integrity.

The lecture, presented by Asad Guliyev, Head of the Museum's Exhibition and Design Department and an art historian, focused on how the Khojaly genocide has been represented in Azerbaijani visual art. He discussed the various artistic approaches to the subject, stressing the significance of the museum's extensive collection of paintings and graphic works, which serve as a vivid artistic chronicle of this historical tragedy.

Behram Sheydayev, a retired colonel and head of the Yasamal district branch of the Public Union of Disabled Veterans and Families of Martyrs of the Karabakh War, emphasized the importance of promoting the truth about Khojaly. He noted that preserving the memory of the victims is a moral duty for every citizen.

The lecture was well-received by attendees, who particularly appreciated how depictions of the Khojaly genocide in visual arts play a crucial role in shaping collective historical memory.

The tragic events unfolded on February 25-26, 1992, when Armenian armed forces, with direct support from the 366th regiment of the former USSR stationed in Khankandi in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region, launched a brutal attack on Khojaly from multiple directions.

The result was devastating, with approximately 613 civilians, predominantly women and children, losing their lives in the massacre.

Around 1,000 individuals were left disabled, eight families were completely wiped out, 25 children were orphaned, and 130 children lost at least one parent.

Some 1,275 innocent people were taken captive, and the whereabouts of 150 individuals remain unknown to this day.