Baku, 23 February (AZERTAC) An event was held at the University of Berkeley in the frame of campaign launched by USA Azerbaijanis on the anniversary of Khojaly genocide.

The event organized by Azerbaijani-American Council, Turkish-speaking Students Association of Berkeley University and Northern California Cultural Center was attended by University tutors and students, representatives of Azerbaijani Diaspora. Chairman of Azerbaijani-American Council Javid Huseynov and president of Turkish-Speaking Students Association Ulduz Berenjfurush addressed the gathering.

Javid Huseynov and Ulduz Berenjfurush said the ceremony of the public campaign aiming to inform the world community about Khojaly genocide is held on the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, coordinator on intercultural dialogue of OIC Youth Forum on February 26, 2009. The events will be held in large American cities, including Houston, New York, Washington and Los Angeles.

As stated, the University of Berkeley commemorates the victims of Khojaly genocide for the second time. Terrorist, who committed savageries against civilians in Khojaly Monte Melkonian, once studied at this university.

Shafag Akifgizi, special correspondent of AZERTAC in Washington, said the massacre committed by Armenian militants in Khojaly was so insidious and terrible that on the day of tragedy and later during a month the leading world media, including newspapers Washington Post, Washington Times, Independent, magazine Newsweek, BBC TV have consecutively reported about the tragedy. On those days, the foreign journalists were writing about unprecedented savageries of Armenian terrorists.

Representative of Strategic Research Center under Azerbaijani President Rashad Karimov said the Khojaly tragedy is a war crime and the culprits have to be punished.

Azerbaijani MPs Havva Mammadova and Asim Mollazade, renowned American writer and journalist Mr. Thomas Goltz, who informed the international community about Khojaly genocide, representative of Strategic Research Center under Azerbaijani President Rashad Karimov and journalist Shafag Akifgizi addressed the event.

They underlined the importance of informing the world community about Khojaly truths and bring the perpetrators to response in the International Court of Justice. They also discussed legal aspects of Khojaly genocide and called the perpetrators of the tragedy war criminals.

Then, a book on the victims of Khojaly genocide was presented. The author, Member of Parliament Havva Mammadova, said the book was written on the base of researches she has made since 1992.

Following this, documentary film about Khojaly genocide made by Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the report prepared by Shafag Akifgizi for CNN in 1997 were demonstrated.

Khojaly genocide victims were commemorated by a minute silence.

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