Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.24
By Elchin Mekhtiyev - Trend:
Azerbaijan's Military Prosecutor's Office has adopted a decision to institute criminal proceedings against 39 perpetrators of the Khojaly genocide, Azerbaijan's Military Prosecutor, Deputy Prosecutor, General Khanlar Veliyev said on Feb.24 at an international conference dedicated to the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.
There are not only Armenians, but also servicemen of the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops among these people, according to Veliyev.
Veliyev added that the prosecutor's office had conducted a three-way investigation since 1988 in connection with the genocides, crimes and deportations committed by the Armenian Armed Forces against Azerbaijan. The first direction relates to crimes committed against the Azerbaijani nation in Khojaly, Meshali, Garadagli and other settlements. The second direction is for crimes committed by Armenians in vehicles, including in the subway and other places and the third direction is for crimes relating to captives and hostages.
To date, 2089 people guilty of committing these crimes have been identified.
On Feb.25-26, 1992, Armenian occupation forces together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.
Some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. A total of 1000 civilians were disabled during the genocide. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both.
Some 1275 innocent residents were taken hostages, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Translated by L.Z.
Edited by S.M.