Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.20
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
Those who lost their lives in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly in 1992 have been commemorated with an emotionally-charged concert in Strasbourg, said the statement released on PRWEB on Feb.20.
The event was organized by the Azerbaijani Representation to the Council of Europe and The European Azerbaijan Society under the auspices of the Justice for Khojaly campaign. Works of Azerbaijani and world classics, as well as contemporary composers were performed at the event, the news website said.
Emin Eyyubov, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe said that the Khojaly Massacre, committed by Armenia in 1992, was a crime against all Azerbaijanis. "This was a cruel mass slaughter, and took the lives of innocent, defenseless civilians," he said.
On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed 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.
As a result of the massacre, some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
Eyyubov went on to add that Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation, launched the Justice for Khojaly international campaign in 2008 to increase international public knowledge of this tragedy.
Marie-Laetitia Gourdin, Head of the French office of The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS), said in turn that events in more than 100 countries worldwide have been already organized within the Justice for Khojaly campaign.
She said that the event held in Strasbourg is also dedicated to Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, two Azerbaijani civilians who were captured by the occupying forces in July when visiting the graves of their relatives in their historic homeland.
During an operation in the Shaplar village of Azerbaijan's occupied Kalbajar district on July 11, 2014 the Armenian forces killed an Azerbaijani, Hasan Hasanov, and detained two other Azerbaijanis, Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov. A criminal case was filed against them. Then, the so-called court in Nagorno-Karabakh sentenced Asgarov to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years in prison.
As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova