Unforgettable dates

Durıng the days from March 30 to April 3 of 1918, Dashnak Armenian armed groups have committed mass killings against Azerbaijanis in the city of Baku and different districts of the Baku Province, as well as in Shamakhy and Guba uyezds, in Garabagh, Zangezur, Nakhchivan, Lankaran and other districts of Azerbaijan. People were killed on a mass scale, burnt alive, and schools, hospitals, mosques and monuments of national culture razed to the ground. 

After the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan was established, the March events of 1918 were paid special attention.  On July 15, 1918, the Council of Ministers passed a decision to establish an extraordinary investigation committee to look into this tragedy.  A special group had been established under the Foreign Affairs Ministry to convey the true facts about these events to the world society.  In 1919 and 1920,  the 31st of March was marked as a day of national mourning by the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan. But the fall of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan prevented this job from being completed.

As of 1998, the 31st of March has been marked in the Republic of Azerbaijan on the state level as the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis.

Bringing the Soviet Army against broad masses of population that became furious about the aggression  Armenia, putting forward territorial claims against our country, and  the former Soviet leadership’s supporting them, and went out to the streets and squares of Baku  to express their decisive protest, on January 20, 1990, led to an unprecedented tragedy in Azerbaijan. In these tragic days, brave sons of the  Homeland who thought the freedom, dignity and honour of his country and people above everything rose to the top of martyrdom, having sacrificed their lives. 

Resulted in big losses and killings of innocent people, the 20th January Tragedy demonstrated both the courage and pride of our people, which did not tolerate the treacherous policy of the criminal Soviet empire led by Gorbachov and strived for freedom and independence.

Exactly as a result of this, we achieved our independence that we had longed for many years.  Although years have passed since these bloody events, our people always remembers that terrible night, and profoundly hates those that committed this tragedy.

The 20th January Tragedy, which will eternally live in our people’s  blood memory, is marked every year in our republic as a National Mourning Day. 

At the night from the 25th to the 26th of February of 1992, Armenian armed groups, supported by the 366th  motorized rifle battalion of the USSR located in Khankendi town, attacked  weaponless and helpless Khojaly town.  In a matter of one night,  Khojaly town was razed to the ground.  People were burnt alive,  heads cut, faces skinned, infants’ eyes pulled out, and pregnant women’s bellies chopped by bayonets.  Armenians even mocked at corpses …

As a result of the criminal  Armenian Troops’ barbarism, 613 Khojaly people were killed, 487 crippled, 1275 civilians – the old, children, women - were taken hostage and subjected to unprecedented Armenian injustice, humiliation and insult.  Destiny of 150 is so far unknown. 

Out of 613 people killed in Khojaly, 106 were women, 63 children, and 70 elderly people. 8 families were annihilated completely,  24 children lost both the parents, 130 lost one of the parents.  56 people were killed with special ruthlessness and cruelty.

On 1 March 1994, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev signed a special Decree. By a decision of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the 26th of February was declared “The Day of Khojaly Genocide and National Mourning”, and all international organizations were informed thereof. 

On 25 February 1997, a Decree was signed by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev “On announcing a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Khojaly Genocide”. 

The people of Azerbaijan will never forget this tragedy!

Dates of occupation 
Khojaly  –  26.02.1992
Shusha  –  08.05.1992
Lachyn –  18.05.1992
Khojavand –  02.10.1992
Kalbajar –  02.04.1993
Aghdere   -  17.06.1993
Aghdam  –  23.07.1993
Jabrail  –  23.08.1993
Fuzuli  –  23.08.1993
Gubadly –  31.08.1993
Zangilan  – 29.10.1993