(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Ulviyya Shahin Read more
Azerbaijani Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) SabinaAliyeva has issued a statement on March 31- Day of Genocide ofAzerbaijanis.
Azernews presents the statement.
presents the statement:“Throughout history, Azerbaijanis havebeen repeatedly and intentionally subjected to ethnic cleansing,genocide, and deportation by Armenia.
One of the horrific genocidal acts committed against our peoplewas perpetrated in March and April of 1918, and this bloody eventis engraved in the history of Azerbaijan as 31 March Genocide.
During genocidal acts, 110 villages in Shamakhi County, morethan 150 villages in Karabakh, 115 villages in Zangezur County, 98villages in Kars Province, and 167 villages in Guba County wereburned and plundered, and the inhabitants were brutally murdered.35 of these villages were wiped off the face of the Earth. Iravancity, which is an ancient land of Azerbaijan, and 199 villagesaround it were destroyed, 132, 000 Azerbaijanis were killed.
Only in Guba County were nearly 16, 000 people murdered. In2007, the existence of numerous facts of physical violence on humanremains in mass graves found as a result of constructionexcavations in Guba City clearly prove the inhuman acts committedby Armenians against our people in 1918.
It must be noted that the facts of crimes of genocide committedagainst Azerbaijanis in different periods of history, including 31March Genocide, are substantiated as time passes. A while ago, thediscovery of the human remains in mass graves of people, who weresubjected to torture and murdered in various forms in the villageof Edilli in the Khojavend district, in Aghdam and Shusha cities,as well as in Khojaly and other liberated territories, can be citedas an example.
The crimes of genocide are based on centuries-long vehementhatred toward Azerbaijanis and unlawful territorial claims. Theseclaims had intensified even further towards the end of the lastcentury, as a result of which hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanishad been deported from the present territories of Armenia, and 20percent of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijanwere occupied by this country.
As a result of the Second Karabakh War, which started on 27September 2020, and lasted 44 days, as well as local anti-terroroperations carried out in September 2023, the territory ofAzerbaijan, which had been kept under the occupation of Armenia fornearly thirty years, was liberated and sovereignty was fullyrestored.
In the early years of the past century, the conveyance of thetruths about these brutal acts of genocide committed by Armeniannationalists against Azerbaijanis to the world community and theestablishment of political and legal evaluation of this incidentbecame possible only after the return of Heydar Aliyev, theNational Leader of our people, to power.
By the Decree“On the Genocide of Azerbaijanis” dated 26 March,1998, issued by the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, 31 March isdeclared the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, and investigationsand endeavors to uncover the truth have been encouraged in order toassess the political and legal evaluation of crimes ofgenocide.
Unfortunately, a fair position regarding the acts of genocideagainst Azerbaijanis committed with special cruelty, which havebeen pursued over time in history, has not yet been declared on aninternational level.
The world community and international organizations shouldrecognize this horrific act of genocide against Azerbaijaniscommitted in 1918 as a crime of genocide on an international scaleand not remain indifferent to the crimes committed against ourcompatriots throughout history to avoid the reocurrence of suchincidents.”
The Statement is addressed to the UN Secretary-General, UNSecurity Council, UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights,UN Office of High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Human RightsCouncil, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, European Union,Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation inEurope, International and European Ombudsman Institutions, AsianOmbudsman Association, Turkic states Ombudsman Association,Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Ombudsman Associationof its member states, Independent Permanent Human Rights Commissionof the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, European Network ofOmbudspersons for Children, International Peace Bureau, foreignombudsmen and national human rights institutions, embassies of theRepublic of Azerbaijan and the foreign embassies in Azerbaijan, theAzerbaijani Diasporas, as well as to various religious communitiesand confessions.”
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