SPECIAL REPORT: Azerbaijan, 29 years after the Khodyali Genocide

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Mexico commemorates the event celebrated on February 25 and 26, 1992, which cost the lives of thousands of Azerbaijanis at the hands of the Armenian army

MEXICO CITY, MAR 3: 29 years ago, in Azerbaijan, in the Nagorno Karabakh district, one of the most brutal acts of ethnic violence of the late 20th century was committed.

During the night of February 25-26, 1992, after a heavy artillery bombardment, the Armenian armed forces, with the support of the 366th Motorized Infantry Regiment of the former Soviet Union, invaded the Khodyali district, committing atrocities without precedents against its civilian population, which involved the murder of 613 Azerbaijani civilians, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly people.

1,275 people were taken hostage and the fate of 150 people remains unknown. During that night, eight families were exterminated, 130 children lost one of their parents and 25 infants lost both.

The genocide was documented with evidence recorded by journalists from various international media.

Frozen corpses in positions of surrender, point-blank shots, torn heads, mutilated children and women are some of the terrifying evidences of Armenian cruelty.

By occupying Jodyali, Armenia aimed to gain a strategic advantage and opportunities to invade other cities in Nagorno Karabakh.

Until 1994 Armenia occupied the Nagorno Karabakh region and seven adjacent districts. The Jodyalí Genocide was highlighted by Human Rights Watch as the bloodiest massacre committed in the course of that conflict. However, it was not the only case, as Armenia committed mass killings in other locations in Azerbaijan.

At the same time, the massacre in Khodyali was clearly intended to terrorize and break the spirit of the Azerbaijanis in order to guarantee a psychological advantage for their future attacks. This is also proven by the statements of former Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan, who in the book by British author Thomas de Waal Black garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War confesses: - “Before Khodyali, Azerbaijanis thought that Armenians were not capable of lifting the hand against the civilian population. We managed to tear down that opinion ”.

After a period of almost 30 years, the persistent ignorance on the part of Armenia of the UN resolutions that demanded the withdrawal of the Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as well as the failure of the negotiations within the framework of the Organization to the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) because of the destructive position of Armenia itself, Azerbaijan managed to liberate its territories during the recent 44-day war, also erupted as a result of another Armenian provocation.

However, the inhumane and terrorist nature at the state level of the Armenian leadership manifested itself once again during that war, when its armed forces, in flagrant violation of all the norms and principles of international humanitarian law, launched attacks with heavy artillery. , rockets and ballistic missiles against the Azerbaijani civilian population, including in cities located far from the conflict zone, including Ganja, the second largest city in the country, Barda, the city that suffered the bloodiest attack of all, as well as Terter, Aghdám, Mingachevir, Goranboy, Gabalá, Kurdemir, Absherón, etc. Cluster munitions were used by the Armenian armed forces during these attacks, a fact that was also condemned by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

The same vandalism is currently observed in Azerbaijani territories liberated from Armenian occupation, which resemble Hiroshima after the atomic bombing and where Armenia totally destroyed the historical and cultural heritage of the country.

Now, reconciliation with Armenia is difficult. Despite this, Azerbaijan remains committed to its path and policy of dialogue, peace and regional cooperation, convinced that the only way to achieve prosperity in the region is reconciliation and lasting peace, but for this to be achieved, Armenia must abandon their territorial claims, policy of aggression and hatred.

In memory of that unfortunate event, recently, the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Mexico headed by Ambassador Mammad Talibov, commemorated with a solemn ceremony at the monument to the Jodyalí Genocide in the Plaza Tlaxcoaque of the Historic Center of Mexico City.

In addition, on the outskirts of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the Bosque de las Lomas neighborhood of Mexico City, an altar dedicated to the victims of that genocide was installed. Until then, diplomats and floral offerings from other embassies in Mexico arrived.

 

(Information and photos: Embassy of Azerbaijan in Mexico)

-------------------------------------------------------

COURTESY protocolo.com.mx

------------------------