EDITOR's NOTE: last two paragraphs were added and changed title
Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 18 / Trend S.Agayeva /
Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO) Chairman Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazade said the perpetrators of the Jan. 20 tragedy should be brought before the Hague Tribunal.
"We will try to establish a committee to investigate the events of Jan. 20 and the committee should ensure that the perpetrators of the tragedy, headed by Mikhail Gorbachev presented before an international tribunal," he said at the conference on the 20th anniversary of the Jan. 20 tragedy organized by the CMO today.
The Soviet Army commenced military operations against Azerbaijan early morning Jan. 20, 1990 before declaring a state of emergency. The tragedy claimed the lives of 131 people, including 117 Azerbaijanis, six Russians, three Jews and three Tatars. Some 744 people were severely injured. Four went missing and 400 were arrested. Twenty one people were killed after a state of emergency was declared on Jan. 20. Twenty six people were killed in the Neftchala and Lankaran regions.
Jan. 20, 1990 was a heroic page in the history of Azerbaijan's struggle for freedom and territorial integrity.
The tragedy affected the lives of thousands of innocent Azerbaijanis and demonstrated our inexorable spirit and pride as we fought against the Soviet policies that restricted our freedom. We achieved the independence that we had dreamed of for so many years.
Azerbaijan commemorates Jan.20th every year.
The conference is attended by religious leaders, heads of religious confessions in Azerbaijan and also MPs.
The CMO has adopted an appeal to the Azerbaijani parliament with a request to transfer the case of the Jan.20 tragedy to the International Tribunal in Hague.
The parliament should make a petition before an international court to prosecute the perpetrators and participants in the tragedy, the message says.
"The Azerbaijani people have the right to bring to justice the perpetrators and participants in the tragedy - Gorbachev and his accomplices," the message continues.
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