Azernews.Az

By Sabina Mammadli

An event in memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide, one of the most terrible tragedies of the late 20th century, has been held in Jerusalem, Israel, Trend has reported.

During the opening remarks, Yegana Salman, director of the "AzIz" Israel-Azerbaijan International Association's Azerbaijan Cultural Center, spoke about the tragedy for the people of Jerusalem who attended the event.

Furthermore, Elina Bardach Yalov, chairperson of the Israel-Azerbaijan inter-parliamentary group and Knesset (Israeli parliament) member, delivered a speech at the event, which was organized by the "AzIz" Azerbaijan-Israel International Association. She emphasized that Jews, more than anyone else, understand and sympathize with the Azerbaijani people, who have survived the brutal murder of civilians because of their ethnicity.

Azerbaijani MP Sevil Mikayilova, who arrived from Baku at the request of the Azerbaijani parliament's leadership, also delivered a speech at the event.

Yael Cohen, director of the "Pisgat Zeev" Cultural Center, welcomed all guests and thanked the "AzIz" Azerbaijan-Israel International Association for organizing such an important event for Jerusalem residents.

Within the event's cultural program, a well-known pianist and international competition laureate Faghan Hasanli, who flew in from Baku, and Israeli opera singer Camellia Ioffe performed Azerbaijani melodies as well as works by world classical music composers.

The Khojaly tragedy is just one example of Armenia's aggressive policy of seizing Azerbaijani lands, which has resulted in Armenia occupying 20 percent of indigenous Azerbaijani territories.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the tragedy, which has remained an unhealed wound in the minds of Azerbaijanis living in Israel, as well as the entire Azerbaijani diaspora and the Azerbaijani people.

Armenia committed genocide against the 7,000-person population of Azerbaijan's Khojaly town on February 26, 1992.

As a result of the Khojaly genocide, 613 peaceful Azerbaijanis were killed, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderly people. Simultaneously, 487 civilians were seriously injured, and 1,275 people were kidnapped. The fate of 150 hostages remains unknown, including 68 women and 26 children.

During the genocide, 56 people were killed with extreme cruelty, with their heads peeled off, various limbs severed, eyes removed, and pregnant women's bellies pierced with bayonets. As a result, eight families were utterly destroyed, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children were orphaned.

Relevant documents adopted by the parliaments of Mexico, Pakistan, the Czech Republic, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Honduras, Sudan, Guatemala and Djibouti recognized the Khojaly massacre as an act of genocide. The parliaments of Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Jordan, Slovenia, Scotland, and Paraguay, as well as the executive and legislative bodies of 22 U.S. states have strongly condemned the Khojaly tragedy as a massacre. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation recognized Armenia as an aggressor and the Khojaly tragedy as genocide.

Every year on February 26, the victims of the Khojaly genocide are remembered at the initiative of national leader Heydar Aliyev.

This heinous act was preceded by a slew of others. Armenians set fire to around 20 buildings in the Baghanis-Ayrim village of Gazakh region, killing eight Azerbaijanis. A family of five, including a 39-day-old newborn, were all burnt alive.

Between June and December 1991, Armenian troops murdered 12 and wounded 15 Azerbaijanis in Khojavand region's Garadaghli and Asgaran region's Meshali villages.

Armenian military detachments bombed buses on the Shusha-Jamilli, Aghdam-Khojavand, and Aghdam-Garadaghli routes in August and September of the same year, killing 17 Azerbaijanis and injuring over 90 others.

In October and November 1991, Armenians burned, destroyed, and plundered over 30 settlements in the mountainous area of Karabakh, including Tugh, Imarat-Garvand, Sirkhavand, Meshali, Jamilli, Umudlu, Garadaghli, Karkijahan, and other significant villages.

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