It has already passed 24 years from the 20 January Tragedy. This massacre, spilled blood and a grave crime against humanity have been already remembered for 24 years. This date has engraved on to our memory as Black January is also the memorial day of our martyrs as well as our fought for the territorial integrity, unity and equality. Doubtless as every crime, this crime had also its instigator and perpetrators.
As the years have passed since January 20, 1990 different aspects, the essence of that bloody event, identity and the aims of the perpetrators become much clearer.
At the night from 19 to 20 January 1990 armoured vehicles, military forces, entered Baku city, Sumgayit, some other regions of our country without any prior notification. As a result the norms of international law, relevant provisions of the Constitutions of former USSR and Azerbaijan SSR were severely violated. Our multinational population who protested against durable aggression of Armenian nationalists against Azerbaijan Republic and struggled for their land, national dignity and honor were subjected to special cruelty and torments.
As a result of special military operation held following the Orders of the leaders of the USSR, the military forces entering Baku from different directions killed 147 unarmed civilians with special cruelty regardless their nationality, age and sex. In the capital, surrounding settlements, and districts 744 innocent persons were injured, hundreds of persons went missing and 841 persons were imprisoned unlawfully.
Baku reminding front-line, being under siege, and surrounded with military forces and vehicles were destroyed, hundreds unarmed, peaceful persons including women, elderly, and children were annihilated, administrative buildings, houses and transport facilities were seriously damaged. In order to conceal committed savagery the exact number of the killed persons, inhuman war criminals annihilated even their corpses.
During the attack prohibited weapons and supplies were used. Soldiers, who lost their sense of mercy, killed seriously wounded persons on spot. Even ambulance cars and doctors were fired at; medical servants were injured and killed.
Thus, the peaceful and unarmed people demanding the restoration of their constitutional rights were murdered by the armed forces, but this act failed to break the will of the people demonstrating their invincibility to the world. This fight for freedom consolidated our population closer, which resulted with gaining of the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991.
This crime as one of the most terrible acts of violence, inhuman treatment and torture committed in XX century engraved in memory of our people forever. Our people will never forget that horrible night-20 January as an integral part of the aggressive policy of the Soviet empire against Azerbaijan, accompanying with mass violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms.
Soviet Union leaders who carried out “perestroika” policy, committed unprecedented military aggression against Azerbaijan, grossly violated the supreme right of persons – the right to live, breaking the norms of international law. This terrible event was the beginning of the organized terror policy and one of the gravest blows among the terror acts committed against the Azerbaijani people. By committing this crime Soviet empire supported uncontrolled political forces of Armenia. As a result, Armenian long term aggression, ethnic cleansing policy, massacres were committed against Azerbaijanis, twenty percent of the country territory was occupied, more than one million people became refugees and IDPs in their own country being withdrawn from Armenia, Nagorny Karabakh and seven surrounding rayons of Azerbaijan.
In his sharp statement National Leader Heydar Aliyev demanded to give political appraisal to the crimes committed in Baku and to punish perpetrators yet on January 21, 1990 underlining the crime committed on 20 January against Azerbaijani people as a grave crime against mankind, humanism and humanity. With the recommendation of the National Leader who proclaimed that date as the Day of National Mourning, the Azerbaijan Parliament (Milli Majlis) for the first time gave the official, political and legal assessment to this event and declared that this tragedy was against struggle for freedom and independence of the Azerbaijani people.
Every year 20 January is marked as the Day of National Mourning and the Azerbaijanis recall courageous sons of our people with respect. Plan of Actions with regard to conduction of range of relevant events in thecapital and regions was approved this year as well. According to Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the honorary title of “Martyrs of January20” was conferred on victims of the tragedy for the outstanding example of patriotism. According to the relevant Decree “On improving state care for the persons who became disabled as a result of the events of January 20, 1990”, the monthly allocations for them have been raised and this care is being continued.
The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev who successfully continues the political course of National Leader, attaches special attention to honoring 20 January martyrs and to solution of social problems of their family members. The persons who became disabled during this tragedy are provided with relevant allocations from State Social Protection Foundation annual budget, as well as with the Presidential allowances in accordance with the Presidential Decree from 19 January, 2011.
The articles about this tragedy are being published in leading newspapers worldwide. “The Washington Times” published in its volume dated 9 January 2013 about the essence and perpetrators of the tragedy, underlining also that this tragedy followed by other similar crimes committed in post Soviet countries such as Kazakhstan, Georgia and Lithuania. However, the crime committed in Azerbaijan was the more brutal in compare to the crimes in above mentioned countries. Our Diaspora organizations in Europe and worldwide also organize different events and ceremonies to draw the attention of international community to the 20 January Tragedy and to the realities of Azerbaijan in whole. The US-Azerbaijani Network launches public awareness campaign of the American community, media and country officials on the 20 Black January Tragedy. In the news published by the Network, it was reported that “the Soviet troop contingent occupied Baku on January 20, 1990 and killedthe civilians. This aggression by the Soviet empire was the next massacre against its own citizens, which preceded by such actions in other states”.
Informing the American public on 20 January events through this campaign, the USAN members call on the law-makers of the country to adopt a resolution officially condemning this inhuman action. This must be noted that within the last two years, the members of the Network achieved adopting of resolutions on 20 January in Texas and New York State Parliaments. Azerbaijan and Turkish Diasporas in USA addressed a letter to Congress, drawing the attention to 20 January Tragedy and asked to commemorate the victims of the tragedy indicating advanced statistical data.
Houston-Baku Sister City Association and Assembly of Canadian Azerbaijani Associations launched memory events in Calgary and Ottawa cities in order to make awareness about essence of the tragedy. The seminars devoted to the 24rd Anniversary of the Bloody January were launched in Preston University, Pakistan and Australian-Azerbaijani Friendship Society. Moreover, the victims of this tragedy were commemorated in about 20 mass media of Jordan and pictures as well as documentary video presentations about this tragedy were presented in the exhibition called “Tragedy of 20 January” organized in Kuwait.
The Alley of Martyrs became a holy commemoration place for our nation, accusing the perpetrators of the tragedy.
Discussions on protection of human rights and freedoms at the inter-state level and creation of international maintenance in this regard are of the main achievements of the international law. Thus, human rights exceed the boundaries of internal power of states and attain international importance. The principles of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other International Acts on Human Rights, the provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, also other international human rights legal norms were severely violated.
Tragedy of January 20 is terrible crime among the terror acts resulted in mass annihilation of people according to its essence and scale. Nevertheless, international legal appraisal was not given to this bloody tragedy up to now, this crime has not been given an international legal assessment and the instigators as well as perpetrators of this crime have not been yet punished.
Once more we declare that this slaughter was planned in advance and committed against our people, with the aim of annihilation of civilians, accompanied by gross violation of human rights.
We do hope that the world community, international organizations will support the justified demands of Azerbaijan, and this grievous crime against humanity will receive international recognition as a bloody event against humanity and the perpetrators will be punished soon.
Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (ESMA), the UAE’s sole standardisation body, has officially nominated Emirates Gas LLC (EMGAS), a subsidiary of Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), as the executors of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) activities in the UAE.
