Azernews.Az

The Azerbaijani Center in Houston has arranged a ceremony to commemorate the 24th anniversary of January 20 massacre, AzerTag state news agency reported.

President of the Center Irada Akhundova said the event would begin with a moment of silence in memory of those who died that day. She then provided a brief insight into the history of the event that led to the January 20 Tragedy.

One of the active members of the Azerbaijan Center, Mehriban Efendi, said that even though Black January is one of the most tragic pages in the history of Azerbaijan, it laid the foundation of a bright future of independent and free Azerbaijan. She highlighted the achievements of Azerbaijan in the last 24 years in economic development, sports and culture, as well as challenges faced by a developing country.

Late at night on January 20, 1990, some 26,000 Soviet special forces called "Alfa" entered Baku without declaring a state of emergency and committed atrocities against the innocent Azerbaijani people. The invasion was launched at midnight and was committed with brutality; even children, women and the elderly were not spared.

In total, some 133 people were killed, 611 wounded, 841 illegally arrested and five went missing as a result of the intrusion of troops into Baku and other regions of the republic.

January 20, 1990 entered into the modern history of Azerbaijan as one of the most tragic days, and at the same time as a heroic page.