Azernews.Az

By Vugar Khalilov

The 30th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide committed by the Armenian armed forces against civilian Azerbaijanis in 1992 has been commemorated in different parts of the world.

Washington

On the 30th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, an All American Khojaly rally was held near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington on February 26 at the initiative of Azerbaijan-New York Association members, the State Committee on Work with Diaspora has reported.

The Azerbaijanis, as well as diaspora members from other friendly nations living in various parts of the US, attended the crowded gathering and raised the Azerbaijani, Turkish, and U.S. flags.

Photos of the Khojaly victims and slogans such “Justice for Khojaly!”, “Recognize the Khojaly Genocide” “Don’t forget Khojaly” “Armenian leadership confessed war crimes” “63 children were killed in Khojaly”, “8 families were completely wiped out”, “30 years- search for justice”, “Peace in Karabakh!”, “Karabakh is Azerbaijan!” were demonstrated as well.

The Azerbaijani and U.S. national anthems were performed, and a minute of silence was observed in commemoration of the Khojaly massacre victims. Farid Mammadov, the president of the Azerbaijani Center of Midwest America, and Gunel Rallis, the chairman of the Minnesota Azerbaijanis Association, moderated the rally.

Head of Azerbaijan Association of New York Yusif Babanli, U.S. Azerbaijanis Network (USAN) co-founder Ali Asgarov, Director of Graduate Study in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of North Carolina Sevinj Mammadova, US-Azerbaijan Scientists Association President Durdana Balakishiyeva, Southern Methodist University Professor Ahmad Obali, GunAZ TV founder Dr. Michael M. Gunter, Tennessee Technological University Professor Munavvar Vahabova, American-Azerbaijani Women's Society President, Diaspora activist John Taylor (Texas), Chairman of the Azerbaijan Society of Maine Tarlan Ahmadov, Florida-Azerbaijan Society Chairwoman Esmira Bayramova, Diaspora activist Elman Karimov (Virginia), Houston-Baku Sister City Association President Irada Akhundova, U.S. Representative of the World Union of Meskhetian Turks Shuhrat Temirov, ACCA member Adika Igbal, Azerbaijan Friendship Organization HeadGunduz Tahirli, United Charities for Azerbaijan Charity Fund Head Hamid Azeri, Azerbaijan Culture Center of Northern California Director Agil Suleymanov, an Azerbaijani musician living in the U.S. and others delivered speeches at the rally.

The speakers described the Khojaly genocide committed by Armenian military forces against innocent Azerbaijanis as a crime against humanity and demanded its perpetrators to be held accountable for this crime.

Participants emphasized the importance of bringing genocide organizers and ideologues, such as Serzh Sargsyan, Robert Kocharyan, Seyran Ohanyan, and Zori Balayan, before the International Criminal Court, as was the case with those responsible for committing genocides in the Balkans.

It was stated that the Khojaly massacre qualifies as genocide under UN resolutions and that 24 US states have officially recognized the Khojaly genocide. Azerbaijan, World Azerbaijanis, and the Turkic world demand that Khojaly genocide should be treated fairly by the international community.

Throughout the rally, Azerbaijanis repeatedly chanted "Justice for Khojaly!"

The rally concluded with the slogans "Justice for Khojaly," "Karabakh is Azerbaijan," and "Long Live Azerbaijan," which were chanted under the Bayati Shiraz mugham.

Jakarta

On February 25, a number of events were held in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

In front of the Armenian embassy in Jakarta, a group of Indonesian protesters held a rally with the slogan "Khojaly: Recognize to Reconcile".

During the rally, the Indonesian youth supported the initiative launched by Amra Begic, Deputy Director of the Srebrenica Museum and one of the Srebrenica tragedy's victims, to call on the Armenian government to recognize the Khojaly genocide at the recent "Peace and Justice" international conference in Vienna. The Eurasian Regional Center of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum turned her initiative into an international campaign (ICYF-ERC).

Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, rally attendees chanted slogans urging Armenian leaders to accept responsibility for the tragedy and apologize to the Azerbaijani people.

On February 26, another commemorative event dedicated to the Khojaly tragedy was held at the Buya Hamka Hall of the Al-Azhar Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, organized by the Eurasian Regional Center of ICYF (ICYF-ERC), Indonesian National Youth Council, and OIC Youth Indonesia with the Azerbaijani embassy's support.

Vice-Rector of Indonesia's Al-Azhar University Ade Jamal and Vice President of the ICYF and Chairman of the Indonesian National Youth Council Tantan Taufiq Lubis spoke at the ceremony about the mass extermination committed by Armenian armed forces in Khojaly in February 1992.

They emphasized the importance of raising global awareness about the Khojaly genocide as well as Indonesia's support for Azerbaijan's just cause of liberating its occupied territories.

Azerbaijani ambassador to Indonesia Jalal Mirzayev, Chairman of the Interparliamentary Commission of the House of Representatives of Indonesia Fadli Zon, Chairman of the 1st Commission of the House Helmi Fasal Zaini, Indonesian Al-Azhar University Professor Husnan Bey Fanani, Chairman of the International Relations and Cooperation Committee of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly Bunyan Saptomo highlighted the importance of the “Justice for Khojaly!” campaign and the “Khojaly: Recognize to Reconcile” that calls on the Armenian leadership to recognize the Khojaly tragedy.

The “Khojaly: Recognize to Reconcile” initiative was launched by Vienna-based Srebrenica Memorial Museum Deputy Director Amra Begic.

At the end of the event, OIC Youth Indonesia Chairman Astrid Nadya Rizqita made a presentation on the “Justice for Khojaly” campaign and invited everyone to join the online campaign.

Islamabad

On February 25, the Eurasian Regional Center of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF-ERC) organized a series of events to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide in Pakistan, Islamabad, in collaboration with the Azerbaijani embassy and the Global Strategic Institute for Sustainable Development.

An exhibition of photos and drawings painted on the wall as art graffiti reflecting the Khojaly tragedy was held as part of the event in one of Islamabad's central squares.

In addition, the Government Polytechnic Institute for Women hosted a large event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy. The event was attended by Pakistan's Research Development and Planning Committee Director Shakeel Ahmed, Director of the Government Polytechnic Institute for Women Shabana Arif, Azerbaijani ambassador to Pakistan Khazar Farhadov, and Executive Director of the Global Strategic Institute for Sustainable Development Executive Director Qaiser Nawab.

The participants described the Khojaly tragedy as a crime against humanity, emphasizing the importance of Pakistanis supporting the initiative launched by Amra Begic to urge the Armenian government to recognize the Khojaly genocide.

Furthermore, the speakers emphasized the importance of establishing peace in the region following Azerbaijan's 44-day war victory over Armenia in 2020. The event attendees also signed up for the online campaign "Khojaly: Recognize to Reconcile".

In memory of the victims of the Khojaly tragedy, young Pakistani activists held a tree planting campaign in one of the parks as part of the event.

London

A play dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide was staged by the Debunk Theater in London, the State Committee on Work with Diaspora reported on February 27.

The play was organized by the British Azerbaijani Society with the support of the House of Azerbaijan in London and funded by the State Committee for Diaspora Work.

The presentation ceremony was attended by employees of the Azerbaijani embassy in the United Kingdom, local community representatives, and members of the Azerbaijani diaspora.

Before the performance, Debunk Theater Sanan Aliyev and Azerbaijani ambassador to the United Kingdom Elin Suleymanov provided detailed information about the genocide.

The play, which was performed for two days (February 26-27), drew attention to the terrible tragedy that Azerbaijanis faced 30 years ago. The play's script has been written by Nick Awde and directed by Vicky Moran.

The play will be performed at the Union Theater from March 1 to 5, 2022.

It should be noted that, with the support of the State Committee for Diaspora Work, approximately 150 events commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide are planned to take place in 40 countries.

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