Poland mourns Khojaly massacre victims

Azerbaijan Embassy to Poland has organized a commemoration ceremony at the University of Warsaw marking the 19th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre.

Employees of Polish Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defence, activists of Azerbaijani Diaspora, representatives of diplomatic corpus in Warsaw, Mufti (chief of Sunnite priesthood) of all Muslims in Poland Tomasz Miskiewicz, sciences and students attended the event, according to Azerbaijan Embassy to Poland.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Poland Hasan Hasanov, chief of Caucasus Seminary in Warsaw University David Kolbaya, Polish writer and journalist Witold Mikhalovski and others made speeches on the Khojaly bloodshed, Armenian vandalism committed in Garabagh region of Azerbaijan, Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Khojaly genocide is one of the most terrible and tragic pages of Azerbaijan history. Azerbaijan`s national leader Heydar Aliyev said in his speech addressed to the nation of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide: "This merciless and cruel genocide was the most dreadful mass terror act in the history of humankind."

The Armenian government wanted to annex Nagorno-Karabakh despite international legal norms and demonstrates their readiness to resort to any kind of crime and barbarism for the sake of its ideology. The Khojaly genocide - the tragedy of the 20th century - was a result of this aggressive and criminal policy. This tragedy, which took place in the 20th century, was one of the most serious crimes not only against the people of Azerbaijan, but humanity as a whole. The Khojaly genocide is comparable to the genocides in Khatin, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Songmi.

Armenian military forces committed genocides in the town of Khojaly with the population of 7 thousand people on February 26 1992. There were 3 thousand people in the town at the time of Armenian military forces` attack. Most part of the population had to leave town during the 4 months blockade. 613 people were killed, 1000 peaceful people of different age became invalid during the Khojaly genocide. 106 women, 63 children, 70 old men were killed. 8 families were completely annihilated, 130 children lost one parents, while 25 both of them. 1275 peace residents were taken hostages; the fate of 150 of them is still unknown.

International conventions, laws, passed in the world, criticize genocides like Khojaly tragedy and call them inadmissible. Azerbaijan nation has all legal bases to bring suit against the Armenian republic in the International court of the UN, guiding by convention "Warning and punishment of genocide crime". The world must know this crime directed not only against Azerbaijan nation, but also whole civilized world, mankind.

The crime should not remain without punishment. Armenian military-political aggression must be condemned by world community. International organizations, parliaments of the world states must give political-legal assessment to the Khojaly genocide - military crime, committed by the Armenian Republic in the Azerbaijan territories.

The event featured screening of documentary “Armenian terrorism”, demonstration of “Justice for Khojaly” rap`s clip and exhibition of photos and articles on the Khojaly tragedy. The participants signed the petition to adduce of the Khojaly genocide as crime against humanity.


/AzerTAc/