Azernews.Az

TEXAS – The House of Representatives of the US state of Texas has passed a resolution recognizing the Khojaly massacre committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis during the Karabakh war in 1992, as a result of annual campaigns by the U.S. Azeris Network, USAN said in a statement.

The resolution was authored by State Representative Jim Murphy and adopted by the House of Representatives on March 3 by a non-record vote. This is the first such resolution passed within the Texas legislature and nationwide.

The USAN board of directors thanked Rep. Murphy, House Speaker Joe Straus and all Texas legislators for their commitment to humane values in recognition of the tragedy suffered by the Azerbaijani people.

Thousands of Azerbaijani civilians were slain by Armenian armed forces in the Khojaly region with the support of Russian troops on February 25-26, 1992. 613 people were brutally killed, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly. 1,275 were taken captives, while 487 became handicapped and 190 went missing.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994. 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent districts, has been under Armenian occupation since then. OSCE-brokered peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.