February 26 is the next anniversary of the occupation of the Azerbaijani city of Khojaly by the Armenian armed forces with the participation of the 366th motorized rifle regiment of the former USSR, made up mainly of Armenians, and the Khojaly genocide.
On the night of February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian military formations, comprising bloody butchers attacked the city of Khojaly with the help of the 366th motorized rifle regiment of Russia. Some 2,500 residents of the city moved in the direction of Agdam to escape the imminent carnage that was in the making against unarmed people – mainly children, women, and the elderly.
Everything was preplanned, and possible escape ways were either mined or taken under control to prevent their rescue since Armenians had already plotted what they committed – genocide.
The next massacre committed by the Armenian aggressors against the people of Azerbaijan ended the lives of 613 people, including 106 women, 63 children, and 70 elderly people. 1,275 civilians were captured, the fate of 150 is still unknown; 475 people were disabled. Eight families were completely destroyed, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one of their parents.
In 1994, on the initiative of Heydar Aliyev, the Milli Majlis adopted a special resolution “February 26 – Khojaly Genocide Day”. In the document, the causes of the incident and the culprits were named in detail.
In Baku’s Xatai district, a monument named “Mother’s call” was erected in memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide.
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation also works systematically and consistently in the direction of conveying the facts about the Khojaly genocide to the world. With the support and organization of the Heydar Foundation, pickets, a series of events, exhibitions, and memorial ceremonies are held in several countries of the world within the framework of a special project related to the genocide.
“Justice for Khojaly!” announced at the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva is increasing the efficiency of the campaign year by year. The purpose of the events held within the framework of this campaign is to give a legal and political evaluation of the crime in Khojaly and to achieve recognition of the Khojaly genocide by the whole world.
It is no coincidence that in January 2012, at the VII session of the Parliamentary Union of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in Palembang, Indonesia, the parliamentary representatives from 51 countries adopted a relevant resolution on recognizing the Khojaly tragedy as genocide at the international level.
“Justice for Khojaly!” the international information campaign is currently being successfully implemented in dozens of countries around the world and is aimed at recognizing the tragedy at the moral and political-legal levels.
Currently, Pakistan, Mexico, Czech Republic, Colombia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, etc. parliaments of the countries recognized the Khojaly tragedy as genocide and a criminal act against Azerbaijan. In addition, the Khojaly genocide was recognized by the legislative bodies of dozens of US states.
Currently, IDPs from Khojaly have temporarily settled in 50 cities and districts of the country.
