Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani people living in Canada held a ceremony to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, committed by the Armenian armed forces.

Azerbaijani Embassy in Canada and the Canada Azerbaijan Partnership Association co-organized the ceremony in Toronto in memory of the Khojaly victims, AzerTag news agency reported.

The event brought together Azerbaijani students studying at Waterloo and Toronto universities, as well as members of Azerbaijani community in the city.

Addressing the event, Ambassador to Canada Farid Shafiyev urged members of Azerbaijani community to strengthen their efforts towards making the country`s realities known to the Canadian society.

Chairman of the Canada Azerbaijan Partnership Association Ilham Akhundov stressed the importance of the installation of a monument to Khojaly genocide in one of the central parks of Toronto in terms of increasing the Canadians`s awareness of the tragedy.

The Khojaly genocide victims also will be commemorated in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom.

In 1992, the town of Khojaly, the second largest town in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, came under intensive fire from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by the Armenian armed forces.

613 civilians, including 106 women, 70 elderly and 83 children, were killed in the massacre. A total of 1,000 civilians were disabled. 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. Civilians were shot at close range, scalped and burned alive. Some had their eyes gouged out and others were beheaded.