Events of Jan.20, 1990 divided life of Baku citizens into "before" and "after"

20 January 2021 18:44 (UTC+04:00)

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The tragedy of January 20, 1990 is a terrible and horrific event, Director General of the Israel-Azerbaijan AzIz International Association Lev Spivak told Trend.

“We all remember the tragedy of January 20. Residents of Baku who were in the city at that moment remember that horror - no one expected that the Soviet army could enter the city and shoot civilians,” Spivak said. “Before the tragedy, no one even thought about leaving the city, but after these events, many residents of Baku became scattered all over the world. They left the country, thinking that the Soviet government could do anything to them.”

He stressed that the AzIz International Association holds events in Israel every year to commemorate the victims of the tragedy.

“In Israel we hold meetings with the event’s witnesses, organize photo exhibitions, talk about the terrible events of January 1990. The memories of the events of January 20 always shock because a terrible, incredible tragedy has occurred, even if considering it without the chain of events connected with it," said the association’s director.

On the night of January 19-20, 1990, without a preliminary declaration of a state of emergency, the Soviet army launched an operation against Azerbaijan. That night, 147 civilians were brutally killed, 744 innocent civilians were wounded, many of them were disabled for life, 841 people were illegally arrested. The Soviet troops brought into Baku destroyed 200 apartments and houses, 80 cars, including ambulances, many private and state properties.

Despite the fact that thirty-one years have passed since those bloody events, the Azerbaijani people will forever remember that terrible night and express their deep contempt for those who are guilty of this tragedy. The country annually marks the day of the tragedy on January 20, which is immortalized in the blood memory of the Azerbaijani people as the Day of National Mourning.