The Diplomat. Phtos: Embassy of Azerbaijan.
Last Thursday, the Embassy of Azerbaijan held a ceremony to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the tragic events of Black January, which took place on the night of 19-20 January 1990 and which has been designated as a National Day of Mourning in the Caucasian country.
On that night, the Soviet army, flagrantly violating the norms of international law, the Constitution of the USSR and the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, entered the country in order to stifle a national movement, breaking the will of the Azerbaijani people to achieve democracy and freedom of speech. As a result of the massacre, 147 civilians were killed and 744 people were seriously injured.
During the event, a photo exhibition dedicated to honouring the martyrs who gave their lives for the freedom of the homeland during the military intervention of the Soviet Army in Azerbaijan was presented. In his opening speech, Azerbaijani Ambassador Ramiz Hasanov stressed that “after the tragic events, National Leader Heydar Aliyev addressed our compatriots and representatives of the media at the headquarters of the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan in Moscow. In his speech the Azerbaijani leader denounced the atrocities, demanded a political assessment of the massacre and punishment for its perpetrators”.
This massacre was qualified as military aggression and crime against humanity at the Extraordinary Session of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan in February 1994; in March 1994, the decision “On the tragic events perpetrated in Baku on January 20” was adopted; and a National Day of Mourning was declared.
Ambassador Ramiz Hasanov stressed that “the events of 20 January could not break the will of our people and stifle our national spirit”. Quoting the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Ambassador stressed that “20 January is written in our History as a day of honour, heroism and triumph of the national spirit”.
