Int’l community informed about Khojaly tragedy: Deputy PM
By Sara Rajabova
The Khojaly tragedy committed by the Armenian armed forces in early 1990s was one of the last acts of genocide in the 20th century.
Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister and the Chairman of the State Committee for Deals of Refugees and IDPs, Ali Hasanov made the remarks on June 20 at a ceremony of presentation of a three-volume book titled "Leyla Aliyeva: "Justice for Khojaly!" (A new strategic model against international Armenian terror) by the writer and publicist and honored journalist, Vasif Samadov and Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science, Rovshan Valizadeh.
Hasanov said Khojaly genocide got a political assessment just after Azerbaijan's national leader Heydar Aliyev returned to the country's leadership.
He went on to add that Azerbaijan's national leader Heydar Aliyev carried out corresponding work and gave instructions aimed at unveiling the truths about this tragedy in the global arenas.
Hasanov also underscored that this work has been continued by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev.
He said Heydar Aliyev Foundation, as well as the Azerbaijani organizations abroad played a key role in revealing the truth about the tragedy.
Hasanov noted that even greater work has been carried out in this area, than in the last 17 years over the period since this activity was joined by the Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.
He said the international community has been informed about the Khojaly tragedy.
Hasanov stressed that the main perpetrators of the Khojaly tragedy are Armenia's ex-president Robert Kocharyan, its current president, Serzh Sargsyan, the separatist regime's Head Arkadi Ghukasyan and Seyran Ohanyan.
He also said the international community is now claiming that Azerbaijan has to solve the problem with these criminals and fascists.
"Injustice is continuing in the world, the number of conflict zones and acts of genocide is increasing, and the only thing we can rely on is our people and the state. President Aliyev is carrying out relevant work to solve this problem," Hasanov said.
Armenian armed forces, supported by the ex-Soviet 366th regiment, occupied and ruined the town of Khojali by heavy artillery shelling on February 26, 1992. As many as 613 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent.
Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 of them remains unknown.
Civilians were shot at close range, scalped, and burned alive. Some had their eyes gouged out and others were beheaded.
The legislative bodies of many countries have adopted resolutions recognizing the crime committed by the Armenians against the peaceful people of Khojali as genocide.
The parliaments of Pakistan, Mexico, Colombia, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Jordan, as well as the legislative bodies of about 20 states of the Unites States including Texas, New-Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Western Virginia, New-Jersey, and Tennessee have adopted relevant documents.