Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Commissioner issues statement on 35th anniversary of January 20 tragedy VIDEO
Baku, January 17, AZERTAC
Azerbaijani Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva has issued a statement on the 35th anniversary of the January 20 tragedy.
The statement reads: “It has been 35 years since the January 20 tragedy – a bloody event that was mercilessly committed against an unarmed population by the former USSR armed forces on the night of January 19 to 20, 1990, in order to suppress the spirit of national freedom and the desire for independence of the people of Azerbaijan.
In order to break the will of the Azerbaijani people protesting against the biased attitude of the former USSR leadership towards Azerbaijan, the deportation of Azerbaijanis from its historical lands, which is now the territory of present-day Armenia, and unfounded territorial claims of Armenia against Azerbaijan, as a result of this heinous crime against humanity, 150 innocent people, including women, children, and the elderly, in Baku and several other districts and cities of Azerbaijan were murdered, 744 people were injured, and 841 individuals were unlawfully detained.
That day is not only a heroic chronicle of the Azerbaijani people who took to the squares for the sake of freedom but also a historical day when unarmed people, with a desire for freedom, courageously and honorably fought for liberty. Despite the brutal terror act committed against innocent people, the Azerbaijani people succeeded in gaining their independence.
The National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, with his family members, arrived at Azerbaijan’s Permanent Mission in Moscow on January 21 despite the pressures and potential threats to his life. He held a press conference, issued a strong statement, and informed the international community that this grave crime had been committed by the leadership of the USSR. It was only after the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev returned to the country’s leadership that, in 1994, political and legal assessments were made regarding the January 20 events.
The failure of international organizations and the world community to condemn the commission of this event at that time later paved the way for the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenians and the perpetration of acts of genocide against the Azerbaijani people.
As a result of the crime against humanity perpetuated under the instruction of the former USSR leadership, the provisions of the UN Charter, the universally recognized norms and principles of international law, as well as, the requirements of the international treaties, to which the former Soviet Union was a party, have been seriously infringed and human rights have been grossly violated.
However, with regret, we would like to inform that in spite of numerous appeals to international organizations and the global community, this crime against humanity has yet to be given legal evaluation, and those who committed this heinous crime have not been held accountable.
As the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, I urge international organizations and the world community to interpret incidents that occurred on 20 January as a crime against humanity, one of the gravest forms of international crimes and to take just stance to ensure that military personnel who committed these crimes, along with those who ordered the execution of these acts are also held criminally accountable.”
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