Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

A rally to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide will be held outside the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels this week, Azerbaijan`s parliament reported.

MP Aflatun Amashov will join the rally and also attend a commemorative event there. Amashov will also meet with his Belgian counterparts as part of his visit.

The MP will also attend Khojaly commemorative events in Amsterdam on February 26-27.

The Khojaly genocide is one of the bloodiest tragedies in human history.

In 1992, the town of Khojaly, the second largest town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, came under intense fire by the Armenian armed forces.

Some 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 people remains unknown. Civilians were shot at close range, scalped, and burned alive.

As a result of Armenian aggression, Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions remain occupied. Because of ethnic cleansing, over one million Azerbaijanis lost their homes and became refugees and internally displaced persons.

Despite the fact that all the international organizations recognize Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, and the UN issues four resolutions demanding unconditional liberation of the occupied territories, Armenia continues the occupation, does not respect the international law and ignores it.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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