DAYS OF SORROW
Khojaly genocide discussed at Mexican Congress
Baku, February 20, AZERTAC
The federal deputy of the PT, Magdalena del Socorro Nunez Monreal, considered that the fight against the issues of enforced disappearance and genocide is still pending in the legislative agenda of Congress.
As she led the second day of the International Conference on Enforced Disappearances and Genocide in the Legislative Palace of San Lazaro, she recalled that in response to the pronouncements of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), the Senate is working in a Bill on Forced Disappearance of Persons.
She felt that the legal standard should be "effective legal recognition of human dignity" as highlighted by international instruments to which Mexico is a party.
"It is based on the recognition of the principle of universal validity of human dignity, referred to in the Constitution, that legislators should worry about strengthening our regulatory framework for the human rights in an intangible way, understanding why we can’t or neither should they be touched, "she added.
Monreal Nunez said that Monday’s activities were devoted to analyzing the genocide in Khojaly, Azerbaijan.
The contributions of these meetings in San Lazaro, to analyze the different cases of genocide around the world, will be of great use to enrich the necessary initiatives to strengthen the rule of law in Mexico, emphasized the legislator.
"The principle of human dignity is what must move legislators to carry out the work on these atrocious behaviors that bring us together today: the forced disappearance and genocide," he said.
In turn, the promoter of Peace and Defender of Human Rights, Alfredo Rojas Diaz, said the aim of the conference against disappearances and genocide is to create an awareness to educate and inform new generations on these issues and eradicate such crimes.
In his participation, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilgar Mukhtarov presented the case of Khojaly - a now-nonexistent people of the nation that he represents when Armenian forces in February 1992, supported by a regiment of the former Union Soviet, committed genocide against innocent civilians.
In fact, 613 people were killed, including 106 women and 83 children; 56 of these people were killed with an unusual brutality, eight families were completely exterminated; 25 children lost both parents and 130 lost one of their parents, according to official reports.
He said that even today, 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory is occupied by Armenia and for that reason there are at least one million refugees and internally displaced persons.
Derived from this, the United Nations (UN) has issued four resolutions of the Security Council requesting that Armenia unilaterally withdraw its military forces and allows civilians to return home; however, that nation has not recognized international law and continues its policy of occupation.
The goal, he said, is "to bring justice to the victims of Khojaly, while rebuking those who violated rights and have the blood of Azerbaijanis in their hands."
Moreover, he thanked Mexico, which, through the House of Representatives passed a resolution supporting the decisions of the Security Council of the UN in 2011.
Azerbaijani ambassador also highlighted the support that other nations have given to that region.
He explained that since seven years ago he has spread the information about this conflict through conferences and forums to attract attention of politicians and civil society. Despite that, he said, "there is a double standard in the world as there is information that is disseminated instantly and there is another which is not."
Taking the floor, the Ambassador of Ukraine in Mexico, Ruslan Spirin, highlighted the support of Mexico so that it recognizes and respects the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of their country, through the Chamber of Deputies, the Group friendship Mexico-Ukraine, chaired by Deputy Elba Rosa Perez Hernandez (PVEM).
"Together we will win," he stressed, and thanked the society and the Mexican authorities, as well as to Members interested in that dialogue is the mechanism to settle disputes peacefully. "In our globalized world we can not be isolated, what happens in any country affects everyone and we can not be ignorant of what happens," said the diplomat.
He said the suffering of societies because of the forced disappearance of innocent people and noted that Mexico understood like nobody the pain at the loss of life of students, which caused suffering in the world and humanity, because they are experiencing globalization.
The event was also attended by the ambassadors of Pakistan, Bulgaria, Georgia and Slovakia.