BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 18. Co-chairs of the working group on Azerbaijan in the US Congress, Democratic Party member Steve Cohen, representing the state of Tennessee in the House of Representatives, and Republican Party member Robert Aderholt, representing the state of Alabama, made statements on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of January 20 - the Day of National Mourning, Trend reports.
In his statement, Congressman Steve Cohen noted that on the night of January 20, one of the most tragic events in the history of Azerbaijan, when about 26,000 Soviet soldiers attacked the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, with tanks and armored vehicles. As a result of the overt fire on peaceful protesters, among them elderly people and women, 147 people were killed, 800 were wounded, 841 people were arrested and 5 were missing.
Cohen expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the January 20 tragedy.
He stressed that the US was among the first to recognize Azerbaijan's independence, establishing diplomatic relations on February 28, 1992.
As co-chair of the US Congressional Working Group on Azerbaijan, he urged colleagues to recognize those who gave their lives for Azerbaijan's independence.
Addressing the January 20 tragedy in his statement, Congressman Aderholt noted that Azerbaijan is marking the 35th anniversary of Black January.
The Congressman noted that this period was the beginning of the end of Soviet power in Azerbaijan, an era of cruelty and horror. However, despite all these misfortunes, the Azerbaijani people, unafraid of communist evil, strived for freedom. He emphasized that on January 19, 1990, in Baku, Soviet troops killed more than 100 Azerbaijani demonstrators and more than 700 people were wounded. Nevertheless, despite the violence, the people of Azerbaijan continued their peaceful protests, which eventually led to independence from the USSR on October 18, 1991.
In his statement, Aderholt urged his colleagues to honor those who gave their lives during the Black January events in Azerbaijan and the struggle for freedom. He also noted that the US will continue to support the people of Azerbaijan and their right to freedom and independence.