(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Sabina Mammadli read more January 20, 1990, known as Black January, was the point of no
return in Azerbaijan's journey to territorial integrity.
This year, as the country marks the 33rd anniversary of the
tragic day, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry commemorates the memory of
compatriots, who sacrificed their lives for the territorial
integrity of the country, the freedom of people, and the
independence of the state.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that the Azerbaijani
army had liberated its territories and finally restored the
territorial integrity of the country under the leadership of
President Ilham Aliyev, specifying that further actions against the
independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
will continue to be adequately countered.
On the night of January 19-20, under direct instructions from
Mikhail Gorbachev, the then Secretary-General of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, military
units of the Soviet Defense Ministry, the KGB (the State Security
Committee), and the Interior Ministry entered Baku and nearby
regions to suppress large-scale popular uprisings against the
aggressive actions of Armenia and the central government's
indifference.
Codenamed 'Blow', the 40,000-strong Soviet troops began to fire
indiscriminately at civilians without warning and declared a state
of emergency.
As a result of the January tragedy, 147 civilians were killed
and 744 more were wounded in Baku and nearby regions. Among those
killed were women, children, the elderly, medics, and
policemen.
At the same time, a total of 841 civilians were arrested in Baku
and other cities and regions of the republic, 112 of whom were sent
to prisons in different cities of the USSR.
The ministry reported that the Soviet army was sent to the
country in order to forcefully suppress the mass protests of the
Azerbaijani people and the national independence movement, which
had started in response to the USSR leadership's discrimination
policy against Azerbaijani people, as well as the deportation of
hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from their historical lands
in the territory of present-day Armenia and Armenia's unfounded
territorial claims against Karabakh, committed an unprecedented
massacre against the civilian population grossly violating
international law and the constitution.
According to the statement, January 21 saw Azerbaijan's National
Leader Heydar Aliyev demonstrate his solidarity with his people at
the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan in Moscow. He strongly
condemned the crime committed against the Azerbaijani people,
demanding political and legal assessment of the massacre, and
punishment of the perpetrators.
Further, at the special session of the Azerbaijani parliament in
February 1994 the brutal killing of innocent people was qualified
as military aggression and a crime, and later, in March 1994, the
parliament adopted a relevant resolution on national leader Heydar
Aliyev's initiative.
The ministry pointed out that the tragedy of January 20 had a
decisive influence on the formation of the national identity of
Azerbaijan and became a turning point in the restoration of the
independence of the country.
“Azerbaijani people, who were subjected to military, political,
and moral aggression of the Soviet regime 33 years ago, showed
commitment to their historical traditions of struggle. On that
tragic day, the sons of the motherland, who gave their lives in
defense of justice wrote a brilliant page in the heroic chronicle
of our people,” the ministry underlined.
The statement emphasized that while January 20 was marked in the
country's history as a day of tragedy, as well as of national
pride, the Azerbaijani people conveyed to the world that they
deserve to live free, sovereign and independent.
Finally, the ministry pointed out that although 33 years have
passed since the horrible tragedy, it was not given an
international legal assessment.
“The leadership of the former Soviet Union is directly
responsible for this crime. According to international law, the
January 20 tragedy should be qualified as a crime against humanity,
and its instigators and perpetrators must be punished,” the
ministry called.
Every year on this day, the residents of Azerbaijan visit the
Alley of Martyrs, where the sons and daughters of Azerbaijan, who
gave their lives for the independence and integrity of the
homeland, are buried. A nationwide moment of silence is observed to
commemorate the January 20 martyrs.
As mentioned, this day will forever be inscribed in the
country's history as a day of heroic struggle in the name of
Azerbaijan's freedom and territorial integrity.
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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @sabinammdl