Historian: Mikhail Gorbachev must be made accoutntable for 20 January tragedy

Former general secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, must take the primary responsibility for the 20 January tragedy, he should be punished in accordance with international law, doctor of historical sciences, Professor Jamil Hasanli said.

"It should be noted that this issue was discussed at the Politburo, which was considered the supreme organ of the Party, and the defense ministry was directly instructed to enforce this decision, and Baku was occupied. Citizens could not think that their own army would commit such crime against them, since the Soviet Union still existed then, and those who served in the army were citizens of the USSR," said Hasanli.

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.

"Despite 21 years have passed since the January events, still it is not late to prosecute those guilty of this crime. There are all necessary documents for this. Azerbaijani side can legitimately demand punishment of criminals," said Hasanli.

This crime was not investigated in early 1990s, as the perpetrators held high positions.

"These people have long been represented in high positions. This was a major obstacle to bring them to justice, punish offenders and disclose the legal aspects of the case," he said.


/Trend/