Azerbaijan sends letter to UN Secretary General on Khojaly Genocide

On Feb. 1992, an unprecedented massacre was committed against the Azerbaijani population in the town of Khojaly, the letter says.

"This bloody tragedy, which became known as the Khojaly Genocide, involved the extermination or capture of thousands of Azerbaijanis: the town was razed to the ground."

"The ongoing armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has resulted in the occupation of almost one-fifth of the territory of Azerbaijan and made approximately one out of every eighth persons in the country internally displaced or a refugee. The most serious international offences, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, were committed in the course of the conflict," the letter reads.

"The genocide in Khojaly, along with other grave offences committed during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, entail the State responsibility of Armenia and the individual criminal responsibility of those who participated in said acts and their accomplices and accessories," the letter says.

"There can be no long-term and sustainable peace without justice. This requires consistent commitment by States towards their obligations to prosecute those responsible for breaches of international humanitarian law or international human rights law," it said in a letter.

/Trend News/