BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 28. A commemoration ceremony was held in The Hague, Netherlands, marking the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, Trend reports.
The event was organized with the support of the Azerbaijan Diaspora Support Fund and the Federation of Turkish Azerbaijan Associations and was facilitated by the Dutch Azerbaijan-Türkiye Cultural Association.
According to the State Committee for Diaspora Affairs, the participants of the event first laid wreaths at the Khojaly genocide memorial in The Hague's "Nieuw Eykenduynen" cemetery and observed a minute of silence to honor the victims.
The Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Diaspora Support Fund, Ekram Abdullayev, Advisor to the President of Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, Hüseyin Altınalan, Deputy Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party and Member of Parliament, İlyas Topsakal, Advisor to the Ambassador of Azerbaijan in the Netherlands, Nurlan Aliyev, Representative of the Turkish Embassy in the Netherlands, Pınar Gülün Kayseri, Advisor to the President of the Federation of Turkish-Azerbaijani Associations (TADEF), Parviz Mammadzadeh, Representative of Dutch society, Ron Gazelle, and human rights defender Paul Donkers all discussed the tragic events of the night of February 26, 1992, when Armenian forces committed genocide against peaceful civilians. They emphasized that this atrocity was written in blood in the memory of the Azerbaijani people, a crime not only against Azerbaijanis but also against humanity, and stressed the importance of the international community not remaining indifferent to the Khojaly genocide.
During their speeches, the speakers recalled the process of returning to Khojaly, President Ilham Aliyev's visits to Khojaly, and his meetings with the residents.
Sariyya Muslimgizi, a resident of Khojaly who lost family members during the tragedy and Chairwoman of the Public Union "Recognition of Armenian Aggression," also spoke at the event. As one of the first residents to return to Khojaly after 32 years, she proudly discussed the development of the city. She presented her books, "They Will Never Grow Up" (Ze werden nooit volwassen) and "The One Coming from Khojaly" (Geesten uit Khojaly), both translated into Dutch. These books, which focus on the lives of women and children who were victims of the Khojaly genocide, were received with great interest by the attendees.
The event continued with the screening of videos prepared by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation regarding the Khojaly genocide, a short documentary titled "Khojaly Badge", and a video message from İlhan Aşkın, President of the Dutch Azerbaijan-Türkiye Cultural Association. A painting exhibition depicting the horrors witnessed by Khojaly survivors and the painful reality of the genocide was also displayed. The children whose artworks were part of the exhibition received appreciation gifts on stage.
In his closing speech, Tuğrahan Aşkın emphasized that commemorating the Khojaly tragedy is not only important for remembrance but also for passing it down to future generations, and he highlighted that the art exhibition was organized with this goal in mind.
Meanwhile, it is noted that such work done by Diaspora organizations and activists is very useful from the point of view of correct presentation of realities and historical facts of Azerbaijan to the international community.
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