Azernews.Az

Events commemorating the Khojaly genocide, committed by Armenians during the Karabakh war, were held in the Georgian cities of Batumi, Zugdidi, Kutaisi and Gori as a part of the Justice for Khojaly campaign.

The events, organized by the Azerbaijan Student Association of Georgia and the Azerbaijan National Council of Youth Organizations, brought together more than 300 Georgian youth.

The events provided an insight into the Armenians` atrocities against Azerbaijanis in Khojaly.

The Khojaly massacre is one of the most heinous and bloodiest events of the 20th century. Late into the night of February 25, 1992, the town of Khojaly came under intensive fire from the town of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by Armenian armed forces. At night the Armenian forces supported by the ex-Soviet 366th regiment completed the surrounding of the town already isolated due to ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population of the neighboring regions. The joint forces occupied the town, which was ruined by heavy artillery shelling.

Thousands of fleeing civilians were ambushed by Armenian forces. Punitive teams of the so-called Nagorno Karabakh defense army reached the unprotected civilians to slaughter them, mutilating and scalping some bodies. In just a few hours, 613 civilians were killed, including 106 women, 70 elderly and 83 children. A total of 1,000 civilians were disabled. 56 people were killed with outrageous brutality, eight families were exterminated, and 25 children lost both parents, while 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.