Event dedicated to Khojaly tragedy held at Heydar Aliyev Palace
By Laman Ismayilova
An event timed to the 27th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide was held in Heydar Aliyev Palace.
Before the event, guests could familiarize themselves with photographs and literature, which reflect the documentary facts of the Khojaly genocide, Trend Life reported.
A moment of silence was observed for the victims of Khojaly tragedy.
In his speech, the director of the Heydar Aliyev Palace, holder of Shohrat order, honored cultural worker Farhad Babayev noted that the tragedy in Khojaly is one of the bloodiest not only in the history of Azerbaijan, but also in the world over the last decade of the 20th century.
He stressed that crimes against humanity and the genocide committed by Armenia in the course of the ongoing aggression against Azerbaijan violate international humanitarian law and human rights.
The exceptional role of the activities carried out in the framework of the campaign "Justice for Khojaly" led by Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva was emphasized as well.
The campaign is not only aimed at informing the international community about the Khojaly genocide, but also calls the world to avoid such tragedies. A number of states gave a political and legal assessment of the Khojaly massacre and recognized it as an act of genocide.
The documentary "Khojaly" was also screened as part of the event.
On the night of February 26, 1992, Armenian armed forces, directly supported by the 366th regiment of the former USSR, stationed at that time in the town of Khankendi in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan attacked, from five directions, the town of Khojaly.
About 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.
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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova
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