British Parliament commemorates events of January 20
Nigar Hasanova
Read moreA preliminary legislative initiative dedicated to the commemoration of the anniversary of the January 20 tragedy was proposed in the House of Commons of the British Parliament.
The Azerbaijan Embassy in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland reported to Azernews.
In the legislative initiative, it was mentioned that the memory of 150 civilians who died as a result of the entry of Soviet troops into Britain on January 20, 1990, was commemorated by the Parliament.
All members of the British Parliament were called to commemorate the events of January 20 with this initiative put forward by Bob Blackman, the chairman of the Friendship Group with Azerbaijan in the Parliament.
20 January is recognised as a Day of Mourning, and it is commemorated as the Day of Nationwide Sorrow in the Republic of Azerbaijan. As a result of the January tragedy, 131 civilians were killed and 744 more were wounded in Baku and nearby regions. Among those killed were women, children, the elderly, medical employees, and policemen.
Mass arrests accompanied the illegal deployment of troops and the subsequent military intervention. A total of 841 civilians were arrested in Baku and other cities and regions of the republic, 112 of whom were sent to prisons in different cities of the USSR. The Soviet troops fired on 200 homes and 80 cars and set fire to a large number of public and private properties, including ambulances.
The atrocities committed by Soviet troops were reminiscent of those actions condemned in the 1945–1946 international tribunal known as the Nuremberg trials.
The victims of the tragic events of 1990 are symbolically named “20 January martyrs”. In total, there are 150 “20 January martyrs” in Azerbaijan.
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