(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 23. Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of
Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva has issued a statement on the occasion of
the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, trend reports.
According to her, the Khojaly genocide, which left a
mark in history as one of the biggest tragedies of the last
century, is one of the bloodiest pages of the policy of ethnic
cleansing and genocide regularly carried out by Armenian
nationalists against Azerbaijanis.
'On the night of February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian
armed forces launched an armed attack with the support of the 366th
motorized rifle regiment of the Soviet army stationed in the city
of Khankendi with the aim of mass killing of the peaceful
population of the city of Khojaly. This city with a population of
seven thousand people was razed to the ground, its inhabitants were
subjected to genocide,' she said.
Aliyeva added that the main goal of the Armenian
chauvinists in committing this genocide was also to wipe out
Khojaly, a city with historical and cultural monuments belonging to
the ancient times of Azerbaijan, in addition to brutal killing the
population.
She said that neglecting the norms and principles of
international law, including international humanitarian law, the
most merciless killing methods were used against the civilian
population, especially the older people, women, and children.
'As a result, 613 people, including 106 women, 63
children, and 70 older people were killed with special cruelty, 8
families were completely wiped out, 25 children lost both parents,
132 children lost one of their parents, 487 people were seriously
injured, 1275 people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 of
them is unknown. During the genocide, 56 people were killed with
unprecedented cruelty, people were burned alive and subjected to
terrible torture,' the statement said.
Azerbaijani Ombudsman also noted that the rights and
freedoms enshrined in the existing international documents in the
field of protection of human rights and freedoms, including the
right to life, have been grossly and massively violated as a result
of the Khojaly genocide based on ethnic cleansing and hatred and
other war crimes committed by the aggressor Armenia on our
lands.
'As a result of the Khojaly genocide, the provisions
of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Convention on the Prevention
and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, The Convention against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination, and the Convention on the Rights of the
Child were seriously violated,' she said.
According to the Ombudsman, for the first time, at the
initiative of National Leader Heydar Aliyev the country's
Parliament gave a political and legal assessment to the Khojaly
Genocide, February 26 was declared 'Khojaly Genocide Day', and
actions were launched for bringing the committed crime to the
attention of the international community and the culprits to
justice.
'International campaign“Justice for Khojaly'
conducted by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for bringing the truth
about Khojaly to the attention of the international community plays
a very important role in the recognition of the Khojaly genocide by
the world community, and giving legal and political assessment to
it,' Sabina Aliyeva said.
She noted that as a result of this action, the
legislative bodies of 17 countries, as well as 24 states of the
United States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the
Organization of Turkic States, have adopted numerous resolutions
and decisions condemning the massacre of civilians in Khojaly and
evaluating it as an act of genocide and a crime against
humanity.
According to Sabina Aliyeva, at present, Azerbaijan
continues to take all necessary steps in order to convey the
information to the world community about the terrorist policy
continuously implemented by Armenia, especially the mines buried in
our lands liberated from occupation as a result of which civilians
have been killed or seriously injured.
'In order to restore justice and prevent the
recurrence of such acts of genocide against humanity, the world
countries and international organizations should give international
political and legal assessment to the Khojaly genocide and other
war crimes committed by Armenia, the perpetrators of the committed
genocide must be held accountable before the international court
and decisive measures must be taken in this direction,' she
concluded.
This Statement is addressed to the UN
Secretary-General, UN Security Council, UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Office of the High Commissioner
for Refugees, UN Human Rights Council, UNICEF, UNESCO, European
Union, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe, International and European Ombudsman
Institutions, Asian Ombudsman Association, Organization of Islamic
Cooperation and the Ombudsman Association of its member states,
Association of Ombudsmen and National Human Rights Institutions of
the Turkic States, Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, European Network of
Ombudspersons for Children, International Peace Bureau, ombudsmen
and national human rights institutions of different countries,
embassies of the Republic of Azerbaijan in foreign countries and
the foreign embassies in Azerbaijan, as well as to the Azerbaijani
Diasporas.