Armenian armed forces attacked the city of Khojaly on that day, committed crimes against the 2500 residents remained in the encircled town. As a result of the Khojaly genocide, which was a tragedy of a century, 613 civilians, as well as 63 children, 106 women, and 70 old people were killed atrociously, 8 families were annihilated, 25 children lost both parents, 130 children lost one parent, 487 were wounded (76 of them are children), 1275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people including 68 women and 26 children remains unknown. Some families were completely wiped out.
The Khojaly Genocide fully compatible with the definition of genocide by the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. According to that framework, the deliberate mass killing of an ethnic, national, or religious group should have elicited a widespread outcry from the international community. Many countries have officially recognized the Khojaly Genocide.
The photographs taken and reports prepared by international media outlets made it possible to convey to the global community the brutality committed in Khojaly. This Genocide is not only a tragedy for one nation but for all of humanity, and the role of the media in disseminating this truth is undeniable.
Azerbaijan continuously make efforts on various international platforms to promote the Khojaly Genocide, to raise the issue at the United Nations, the European Parliament, and other organizations. Although this tragedy caused a profound shock worldwide, the international community’s response was not as strong.
Since February 2008, the “Justice for Khojaly” campaign has been held on the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, vice-president of Haydar Aliyev Foundation. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the Khojaly genocide in different countries around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people and 115 organizations support the campaign’s activities. In addition, many articles about the Khojaly atrocities have been published by foreign journalists.
Khojaly was liberated from occupation and cleared from illegal regime on September 19-20, 2023. On October 15, 2023, the President Ilham Aliyev raised the Azerbaijan Flag in the city. President signed a decree “On the establishment of the Khojaly Genocide Memorial Complex in the city of Khojaly” for the memory of our martyrs.
We back Khojaly, and we rebuild Khojaly…
Under the instructions of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, 881 families – a total of 3,602 people — have been resettled in eight residential areas of Khojaly. The return to Khojaly is one of the key directions of the large-scale “Great Return” program implemented by the Azerbaijani state which aims development of all necessary infrastructure and services, including creation of jobs and business opportunities for the returnees. This return is not only about physical resettlement, but also carries special importance in terms of restoring historical justice, ensuring socio-economic revival, and revitalizing national memory. Families who once fled in fear have finally stepped back onto the soil that holds their memories and dreams. The reconstruction of houses and infrastructure reflects the progress made in restoring normal life in the area. For many who spent years away from their communities, returning to their ancestral land marks an important new phase after a prolonged period of displacement.
President Ilham Aliyev stated: “We could not consider our territorial integrity and sovereignty fully restored without Khojaly. Khojaly holds such a significant place in the history and consciousness of the Azerbaijani people, and this tragedy inflicted such deep wounds on our hearts, that without the liberation of Khojaly we could not feel at peace.” With these words, he expressed the unbreakable determination and strong will of our state on this issue.
Restoration of justice..
On the commemoration of the 34th anniversary of the genocide, justice was served as the perpetrators of the Khojaly massacre received deserved punishment following the conclusion of the trial at the Baku Military Court. The Khojaly executioners and leaders of the so-called regime were held accountable. President Ilham Aliyev stated in his interview with France 24: “Imagine the Nuremberg Trials after World War II, and two months after all those Nazi leaders are sentenced to death, someone comes and asks for their release… Their crimes were even worse than what the Nazis did during World War II.”
Demanding impunity for individuals accused of war crimes means becoming complicit in those crimes. History will always remember this justice.
We will never forget Khojaly genocide. Forgetting could lead to a repetition of such atrocities. Therefore, efforts must continue to convey the truth about the Khojaly Genocide to the international community.
Member of the Parliament of Azerbaijan and Member of the Foreign and Inter-Parliamentary Relations Committee.
