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[[Memorial (society)|Memorial]] stated that by 28 March 1992 over 700 captive civilians from Khojaly, mostly those were woman and children who were detained both in the city and on their way to Aghdam, were delivered to the Azerbaijani side.<ref name="memorial"/> |
[[Memorial (society)|Memorial]] stated that by 28 March 1992 over 700 captive civilians from Khojaly, mostly those were woman and children who were detained both in the city and on their way to Aghdam, were delivered to the Azerbaijani side.<ref name="memorial"/> |
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According to Dana Mazalova, who spoke about this issue on a press conference, the images that Chingiz Mustafayev had shown her, "have nothing in common with the videos and photographs, which the Azerbaijani side presents to the world". Mazalova claims to have seen the original footage shot by the Azerbaijani cameraman Chingiz Mustafiev of the dead bodies and says that she did not see there the signs of mutilation that were in later footage. That has the grisly implication that someone interfered with the corpses afterwards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Press conference: Justice for Khojaly|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzFRC2sB1R8|publisher=Novosti|accessdate=25 February 2012|author=Dana Mazalova|language=Russian}}</ref><ref name="dana">{{cite web|title=ДАНА МАЗАЛОВА: "ТО, ЧТО ОНИ ПОКАЗЫВАЮТ, - НЕ ХОДЖАЛУ"|url=http://www.golosarmenii.am/ru/19958/world/2203/|accessdate=25 February 2012|language=Russian|date=13 March 2010}}</ref><ref name=CMC>{{cite web|title=More War in the Caucasus |auhtor=Thomas De Waal |url=http://carnegie.ru/publications/?fa=42579|accessdate=25 February 2012}}</ref> |
According to Dana Mazalova, who spoke about this issue on a press conference, the images that Chingiz Mustafayev had shown her, "have nothing in common with the videos and photographs, which the Azerbaijani side presents to the world". Mazalova claims to have seen the original footage shot by the Azerbaijani cameraman Chingiz Mustafiev of the dead bodies and says that she did not see there the signs of mutilation that were in later footage. That has the grisly implication that someone interfered with the corpses afterwards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Press conference: Justice for Khojaly|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzFRC2sB1R8|publisher=Novosti|accessdate=25 February 2012|author=Dana Mazalova|language=Russian}}</ref><ref name="dana">{{cite web|title=ДАНА МАЗАЛОВА: "ТО, ЧТО ОНИ ПОКАЗЫВАЮТ, - НЕ ХОДЖАЛУ"|url=http://www.golosarmenii.am/ru/19958/world/2203/|accessdate=25 February 2012|language=Russian|date=13 March 2010}}</ref><ref name=CMC>{{cite web|title=More War in the Caucasus |auhtor=Thomas De Waal |url=http://carnegie.ru/publications/?fa=42579|accessdate=25 February 2012}}</ref> |
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According to Armenian news agencies, the European Center for Artsakh e.V. and Xenophobia Prevention Initiative, it is proved that the Azerbaijani side regularly presents pictures of victims of other wars, such as the [[Kosovo War | Kosovo War]] from 1998/1999, Afghanistan, earthquake victims or refugees from other regions as "Azerbaijani victims of the Khojaly massacre" in order to deceive the public.<ref>{{cite web|title=Азербайджанская фальшивка о 366 полке – опять «в единственном экземпляре»|url=http://stopxenophobia.org/?p=3079/|publisher=Xenophobia Prevention Initiative|accessdate=1 March 2012|language=Russian|date=February 28, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Armenia should work more to neutralize Azerbaijani falsification-Paskaleva|url=http://news.am/eng/news/90908.html|publisher=news.am|accessdate=1 March 2012|language=English|date=January 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=CHODSCHALU: PROPAGANDA MITTELS DER TRAGÖDIE|url=http://eucfa.eu/index.php/konflikt-um-artsakh-berg-karabach-konflikt|publisher=EuCfA|accessdate=1 March 2012|language=German}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=“The February victims near Aghdam are a consequence of criminal actions of Azerbaijan’s political elite …”|url=http://www.panorama.am/en/press/2010/10/29/golos/|publisher=Panorama.am|accessdate=1 March 2012|language=English|date=October 29, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Xocali.net a target of hacker attacks from Azerbaijan|url=http://www.panorama.am/en/society/2010/02/27/xocali.net/?sw|publisher=Panorama.am|accessdate=1 March 2012|language=English|date=February 27, 2010}}</ref><ref name="dana"/><ref>{{cite web|title=New Website Exposes Azeri Propaganda; Sets Record Straight On Karabakh Liberation War|url=http://asbarez.com/77802/new-website-exposes-azeri-propaganda-sets-record-straight-on-karabakh-liberation-war/|publisher=Asbarez|accessdate=1 March 2012|language=English|date=February 24, 2010}}</ref> |
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==Recognition of the massacre == |
==Recognition of the massacre == |
Revision as of 00:34, 7 March 2012
Khojaly Massacre | |
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File:Hocali anit.jpg | |
Location | Khojaly, Azerbaijan |
Date | 25 February–26 February, 1992 |
Target | Azerbaijani residents |
Attack type | Massacre |
Deaths | 161[1]–613 civilians |
Perpetrators | Armenian and Russian military |
The Khojaly Massacre was the killing[2] of hundreds of ethnic Azerbaijani civilians[3] from the town of Khojaly on 25–26 February 1992 by the Armenian and, partially, by CIS armed forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. According to the Azerbaijani side, as well as Memorial Human Rights Center, Human Rights Watch and other international observers,[4][5] the massacre was committed by the ethnic Armenian armed forces, reportedly with help of the Russian 366th Motor Rifle Regiment, apparently not acting on orders from the command.[6][7]. The death toll provided by Azerbaijani authorities is 613 civilians, including 106 women and 83 children.[8] The event became the largest massacre in the course of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.[9]
Western governments and the western media refer to it as the Khojaly Massacre or Khojaly Tragedy. Azerbaijani and Turkish[10][11] sources occasionally refer to the massacre as Khojaly Genocide (Azerbaijani: Xocalı soyqırımı, Turkish: Hocalı soykırımı) and the Khojaly Tragedy (Azerbaijani: Xocalı faciəsi).[12] Armenian sources usually give an estimate closer to the 161 deaths figure given by Human Rights Watch[1] regarding the events[13] and mostly refer to it as the Battle of Khojaly, Khojaly event ([Խոջալուի իրադարձություն] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)-Khojalui Iradardzut’yun) or sometimes Khojaly tragedy ([Խոջալուի ողբերգություն] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)-Khojalui Voghbergut’yun).
Background
During the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, both Armenians and Azerbaijanis became victims of pogroms and ethnic cleansing, which resulted in numerous casualties and displacement of large groups of people.[2] The town of Khojaly was located on the road that connected Shusha and Stepanakert to Agdam and had the region's only airport. According to reports from Human Rights Watch, Khojaly was used as a base for Azerbaijani forces shelling the city of Stepanakert. The indiscriminate shelling and sniper shooting killed or maimed hundreds of civilians, destroyed homes, hospitals and other objects that are not legitimate military targets, and generally terrorized the civilian population[1]. Khojaly itself was shelled by Armenian forces almost on a daily basis during the winter of 1991-1992, and people grew accustomed to spending nights in basements.[14] During the winter of 1992, Armenian forces went on the offensive, forcing almost the entire Azerbaijani population of the enclave to flee, and committing what HRW describes as "unconscionable acts of violence against civilians" as they fled.[1] In 1988 the town had 2,135 inhabitants. Due to the Nagorno-Karabakh War and the population exchanges between Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as Meskhetian Turk refugees leaving Central Asia and subsequently settling in the town, this number had grown to about 6,000 by 1991.[15][16]
In October 1991, the Nagorno Karabakh forces cut the road connecting Khojaly and Aghdam, so that the only way to reach the town was by a helicopter. The town was defended by local OMON forces under the command of Alif Hajiyev, which numbered about 160 or so lightly armed men.[2] Prior to the attack, the town had been without electricity and gas for several months.[17]
The massacre
According to Human Rights Watch, the tragedy struck when “a large column of residents, accompanied by a few dozen retreating fighters, fled the city as it fell to Armenian forces. As they approached the border with Azerbaijan, they came across an Armenian military post and were cruelly fired upon”.[1][18][19]
According to Memorial, part of the population started to leave Khojaly soon after the assault began, trying to flee in the direction of Agdam, and there were armed people from the town's garrison among some of the fleeing groups. People left in two directions: (1) from the eastern side of the town in the north-east direction along the river, passing Askeran to their left (this specific route, according to Armenian officials, was provided as a 'free corridor'); (2) from the northern side of the town in the north-east direction, passing Askeran to their right (it appears that a smaller number of refugees fled using this route). Thus, the majority of civilians left Khojaly, while around 200-300 people stayed in Khojaly, hiding in their houses and basements. As a result of the shelling of the town, an unascertained number of civilians were killed on the territory of Khojaly during the assault. The Armenian side practically refused to provide Memorial observers information about the number of people who so perished. The refugees in both groups were fired upon, as a result of which many of them were killed. Those who remained alive dispersed. Running refugees came across Armenian military posts and were fired upon. Some refugees managed to escape to Agdam, some, mainly women and children (the exact number is impossible to determine), froze to death while wandering around in mountains, some were captured near the villages of Nakhichevanik and Pirjamal.[20]
Armenian side officially claims that the killings occurred as a result of wartime military operations, and were in part caused by the prevention of the evacuation of town inhabitants by Azerbaijani forces. Armenian government officials asserted that the casualty count, though high, was due to the fact the fleeing civilians in Khojaly had mingled with the retreating defenders and when the Azeri troops shot back, Armenian forces fired upon them, killing both soldier and civilian alike.
Helsinki Watch itself concluded "that the militia, still in uniform, and some still carrying their guns, were interspersed with the masses of civilians." [21] However, Human Rights Watch and Memorial, found this explanation of Armenian officials unconvincing, stating that the killing of civilians could not be justified under any circumstances. Human Rights Watch noted that “the attacking party [i.e., Karabakh Armenian forces] is still obliged to take precautionary measures to avoid or minimize civilian casualties. In particular, the party must suspend an attack if it becomes apparent that the attack may be expected to cause civilian casualties that are excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated."[22]
The Armenian side refers to Ayaz Mutalibov's interview to claim that the massacre had been committed not by Armenian soldiers but by Popular Front of Azerbaijan militants who allegedly shot their own civilians escaping through the corridor. In one of his interviews Mutalibov stated that the event was "organized" by his political opponents to force his resignation. He added that "he found it doubtful that the Armenians would have allowed the Azeri-Turks to collect the bodies had the allegations of a massacre been true."[23] In later interviews, however, Mutalibov would go on to condemn the Armenians for what he said was a blatant misinterpretation of his words.[24] He also stated that he never accused the Popular Front of Azerbaijan of having anything to do with these events, he only meant the PFA took advantage of the situation to focus the popular resentment on him.[25]
Committee to Protect Journalists states that the Azerbaijani journalist Chingiz Mustafayev who recorded the bodies after Khojaly Massacre was killed very suspiciously while he was reportedly trying to gather information alleging that the Armenian attack on civilians in Khojaly was a provocation by the Azerbaijani National Front to force the resignation of Azerbaijani president Ayaz Mutalibov.[26] However according to his brother Vahid Mustafayev, Chingiz was fatally wounded when a shell exploded right beside him and a splinter from the shell severed one of his major arteries.[27] Other theories proposed by the Armenian side were that Azeri Popular Front soldiers had massacred 100 Azeri and Armenian civilians and then proceeded to mix the bodies and lay blame upon the Armenians.[28] This explanation however is widely disputed, among others, the executive director of Human Rights Watch has stated that: “we place direct responsibility for the civilian deaths with Karabakh Armenian forces. Indeed, neither our report nor that of Memorial includes any evidence to support the argument that Azerbaijani forces obstructed the flight of, or fired on Azeri civilians”.[22]
At the same time, some Armenian sources admitted the guilt of the Armenian side. According to Markar Melkonian, the brother of the Armenian military leader Monte Melkonian, "Khojaly had been a strategic goal, but it had also been an act of revenge." The date of the massacre in Khojaly had a special significance: it was the run-up to the fourth anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogrom in the city of Sumgait. Melkonian particularly mentions the role of the fighters of two Armenian military detachments called the Arabo and Aramo, who stabbed to death many Azeri civilians.[29]
According to Serge Sarkisian, long-time Defense Minister and Chairman of Security Council of Armenia who is the current president of Armenia, “A lot was exaggerated” in the casualties, and the fleeing Azerbaijanis had put up armed resistance. At the same time he stated: “Before Khojali, the Azerbaijanis thought that they were joking with us, they thought that the Armenians were people who could not raise their hand against the civilian population. We were able to break that [stereotype]. And that's what happened. And we should also take into account that amongst those boys were people who had fled from Baku and Sumgait".[2]
According to Memorial,
Official representatives of the NKR and members of the Armenian armed forces explained the death of civilians in the zone of the 'free corridor' by the fact that there were armed people fleeing together with the refugees, who were firing at Armenian outposts, thus drawing return fire, as well as by an attempted breakthrough by the main Azerbaijani forces. According to members of the Armenian armed forces, the Azerbaijani forces attempted to battle through from Agdam in the direction of the 'free corridor'. At the moment when the Armenian outposts were fighting off this attack, the first groups of Khojaly refugees approached them from the rear. The armed people who were among the refugees began firing at the Armenian outposts. During the battle, one outpost was destroyed, but the fighters from another outpost, of whose existence the Azerbaijanis were unaware, opened fire from a close distance at the people coming from Khojaly. According to testimonies of Khojaly refugees (including those published in the press), the armed people inside the refugee column did exchange gunfire with Armenian outposts, but on each occasion the fire was opened first from the Armenian side.
The site of the mass killing of Khojaly inhabitants was filmed on videotape by Azerbaijani journalist Chingiz Mustafayev. He was accompanied by the Russian journalist Yuri Romanov during the first helicopter flight to the scene of the tragedy. Romanov described in his memoir how he looked out of the window of the helicopter and literally jumped back from an incredibly horrible view. The whole area up to the horizon was covered with dead bodies of women, elder people and boys and girls of all ages, from newly born to teenagers. From the mass of bodies two figures caught his sight. An old woman with uncovered gray head was lying face down next to a small girl in a blue jacket. Their legs were tied with barbed wire, and the old woman's hands were tied as well. Both were shot in their heads, and the little girl in her last move was stretching out her hands to her dead grandmother. Shocked, Romanov even forgot about his camera, but after recovering from the shock started filming. However, the helicopter came under the fire, and they had to leave.[30]
Another Russian journalist, Victoria Ivleva entered Khojaly after it fell to the Armenian armed forces. She took the pictures of the streets of the town strewn with dead bodies of its inhabitants, including women and children.[31] In the article that she wrote for a Russian newspaper she described how she saw a large crowd of Meskhetian Turks from Khojaly, who were led to captivity by the Armenian militants. She mentioned that she was hit by an Armenian soldier who took her for one of the captives, when she was helping a woman who was falling behind the crowd with four children, one of which was wounded, and the other one was newly born. The captives were later exchanged or released, and in 2011 Ivleva found in Azerbaijan that woman. Her little child grew up, but did not speak because of the shock she suffered in her childhood.[32]
The Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev traveled to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and wrote an article called "Karabakh Diary". He claimed that he met some refugees from Khojaly, temporarily settled in Naftalan, who said that the Armenian soldiers positioned behind the corridor had not opened fire on them. Some soldiers from the battalions of the National Front of Azerbaijan instead, for some reason, had led part of the refugees in the direction of the village of Nakhichevanik, which during that period had been under the control of the Armenians' Askeran battalion. The other group of refugees were hit by artillery volleys while they were reaching the Agdam Region.[33][34]
He also says after his visit to Askeran,
I asked S. Arushanyan to show me the corridor which the Khojaly inhabitants had used to abandon the town. Having familiarised myself with the geographical area, I can say, fully convinced, that the conjectures that there had been no Armenian corridor are groundless. The corridor did indeed exist, otherwise the Khojaly inhabitants, fully surrounded [by the enemy troops] and isolated from the outside world, would not have been able to force their way out and escape the encirclement. However, having crossed the area behind the Kar-Kar River, the row of refugees was separated and, for some reason, a group of them headed in the direction of Nakhichevanik. It appears that the NFA battalions were striving not for the liberation of the Khojaly civilians but for more bloodshed on their way to overthrow A. Mutalibov (the first President of Azerbaijan[33](p.5)
However, in his statement to the European Court of Human Rights Fatullayev noted that in the article “The Karabakh Diary”, he had merely conveyed the statements of Slavik Arushanyan, who had told Fatullayev his version of the events during the interview. Fatullayev claimed that his article did not directly accuse any Azerbaijani national of committing any crime and that in his article, there was no statement asserting that any of the Khojaly victims had been killed or mutilated by Azerbaijani fighters.[33]
Eynulla Fatullayev was sued for defamation and convicted in an Azerbaijani court to eight and a half years in prison and a penalty fee of $230,000. "Reporters without Borders" strongly condemned this decision, stating that the judgment was based on no evidence but is purely political.[35][36] The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Fatullayev must be released, because in their opinion "although “The Karabakh Diary” might have contained certain exaggerated or provocative assertions, the author did not cross the limits of journalistic freedom". The Court also noted that “The Karabakh Diary” did not constitute a piece of investigative journalism focusing specifically on the Khojaly events and considered that Fatullayev's statements about these events were made rather in passing, parallel to the main theme of the article.[33] Fatullayev was subsequently pardoned by the Azerbaijani president and released from jail.
However, after being released from prison in May 2011, Eynulla Fatullayev defended his 2005 comments which held Azerbaijani fighters and not Armenians responsible for the 1992 killings in Khojaly and added that the Azerbaijani government has long sought to use the Khojaly events to persecute its opponents, like the first president of Azerbaijan, Ayaz Mutalibov, who is still under criminal investigation for complicity in the Khojaly events. He also mentions Fahmin Hajiyev, the head of Azerbaijan's interior troops of the country who spent 11 years in prison because of the Khojaly events.[37]
A Khojaly survivor, Salman Abasov told that:
Several days before the tragedy the Armenian told us several times over the radio that they would capture the town and demanded that we leave it. For a longtime helicopters flew into Khojali and it wasn't clear if anyone thought about our fate, took an interest in us. We received practically no help. Morever, when it was possible to take our women, children out of the town, we were persuaded not to do so.[38]
Role of the 366th CIS regiment
According to international observers, soldiers and officers of 366th regiment took part in the attack on Khojaly.[39] Memorial called for investigation of the facts of participation of CIS soldiers in the military operations in the region and transfer of military equipment to the sides of the conflict. Soon after the massacre, in early March 1992, the regiment was withdrawn from Nagorno-Karabakh. Paratroopers evacuated the personnel of the regiment by helicopter, but over 100 soldiers and officers remained in Stepanakert and joined the Armenian forces, including the commander of the 2nd battalion major Seyran Ohanyan,[2] who currently serves as a Minister of Defense of Armenia. Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper reported that:
despite categorical orders of the command of the military district, some military personnel of the 366th regiment took part in military operations near Khojaly on Karabakhi side on the 20s of February. At least two such instances were recorded. And during evacuation of the military personnel of the regiment paratroopers selectively searched several servicemen and found large amounts of money on them, including foreign currency.[40]
Free corridor and lack of evacuation
The report of Memorial stated that the Armenian side claimed that a free corridor was provided for fleeing civilians. The Memorial report says:
According to the officials of the NKR and those taking part in the assault, the Khojaly population was informed about the existence of this 'corridor' through loudspeakers mounted on armoured personnel carriers. NKR officials also noted that, several days prior to the assault, leaflets had been dropped on Khojaly from helicopters, urging the Khojaly population to use the 'free corridor'. However, not a single copy of such a leaflet has been provided to Memorial's observers in support of this assertion. Likewise, no traces of such leaflets have been found by Memorial's observers in Khojaly. When interviewed, Khojaly refugees said that they had not heard about such leaflets. Several days prior to the assault, the representatives of the Armenian side had, on repeated occasions, informed the Khojaly authorities by radio about the upcoming assault and urged them to immediately evacuate the population from the town. The fact that this information had been received by the Azerbaijani side and transferred to Baku is confirmed by Baku newspapers (BakinskiyRabochiy)Cite error: The
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tag has too many names (see the help page).
Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev said:
After I have made myself familiar with the area, I can say with full conviction that the allegations about the lack of an Armenian humanitarian corridor are completely unfounded. The corridor indeed existed, but the inhabitants were completely prevented from breaking out. I've talked with hundreds of refugees and the presence of a humanitarian corridor has been confirmed and they assured, that thanks to this corridor they were able to cheat death and survive.[41][42]
Russian organization Memorial wrote:
From fall 1991 Khojaly was practically blockaded by the Armenian armed forces, and after the withdrawal of the (Soviet) internal troops from Karabakh the blockade became total. No electricity had been supplied since January 1992. Some inhabitants left the blockaded town, but the full evacuation of the civilian population was not carried out, despite insistent demands of the head of executive power of Khojaly E.Mamedov.[43]
Yet Memorial stated that the declared granting of the "free corridor" for escape of civilian population from Khojaly could be considered either as deliberate actions of the officials of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians aimed at cleansing the town of its population, or as an admission by Armenian leaders of their inability to provide on the territory controlled by them the protection of human rights of the civilian population regardless of ethnic identity.[44]
Victims
The Khojaly Massacre was described by Human Rights Watch as "the largest massacre to date in the conflict" over Nagorno-Karabakh.[45] Memorial, the Moscow-based human rights group, stated in their report that the mass killing of civilians in Khojaly could not be justified under any circumstances and that actions of Armenian militants were in gross violation of a number of basic international human rights conventions.[46] However, Human Rights Watch also made clear, that all sides have commited violations of the rules of war and added that “both sides shelled each other's cities and towns and committed atrocities.“[45] Estimating the number of the civilians killed in the massacre, Human Rights Watch stated that "there are no exact figures for the number of Azeri civilians killed because Karabakh Armenian forces gained control of the area after the massacre". A 1993 report by Human Rights Watch put the number of deaths at least 161,[1] although later reports state the number of deaths as at least 200. According to Human Rights Watch, "while it is widely accepted that 200 Azeris were murdered, as many as 500-1,000 may have died".[45]
Memorial stated that by 28 March 1992 over 700 captive civilians from Khojaly, mostly those were woman and children who were detained both in the city and on their way to Aghdam, were delivered to the Azerbaijani side.[46]
According to Dana Mazalova, who spoke about this issue on a press conference, the images that Chingiz Mustafayev had shown her, "have nothing in common with the videos and photographs, which the Azerbaijani side presents to the world". Mazalova claims to have seen the original footage shot by the Azerbaijani cameraman Chingiz Mustafiev of the dead bodies and says that she did not see there the signs of mutilation that were in later footage. That has the grisly implication that someone interfered with the corpses afterwards.[47][48][49]
According to Armenian news agencies, the European Center for Artsakh e.V. and Xenophobia Prevention Initiative, it is proved that the Azerbaijani side regularly presents pictures of victims of other wars, such as the Kosovo War from 1998/1999, Afghanistan, earthquake victims or refugees from other regions as "Azerbaijani victims of the Khojaly massacre" in order to deceive the public.[50][51][52][53][54][48][55]
Recognition of the massacre
According to Azerbaijani news agencies in 2011, over a million signatures gathered in Netherlands and sent to county’s parliament to support recognition of Khojaly.[56][dubious ][third-party source needed]
On February 25, 2011, New Jersey became the first state that recognized Khojaly Massacre on both legislative and executive levels.[57][58]
Remembrance
A Written Declaration (No. 324), authored by Azerbaijan Popular Front member Gulamhuseyn Aliyev in 2001, was signed by 30 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, including members from Turkey (12), Azerbaijan (8), United Kingdom (3), Albania (2), Luxembourg (1), Republic of Macedonia (1), Poland (1), Bulgaria (1) and Norway (1), condemning the massacre of the entire population of Khojaly and destruction of the city by Armenians and recognizing genocide against azerbaijanis.[59][60]
On February 26, 2009, in congressional remarks, Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-KY), solemnly recognized the 17th anniversary of the massacre at Khojaly, and honored the lives of those lost in this great tragedy.[61] On February 25, 2010, in congressional remarks, Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA), co-chairman of the House Azerbaijani Caucus, called Khojaly a site of largest killing of Azerbaijani civilians.[62]
In January 2010, the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC), composed of parliaments of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) members states, which includes Azerbaijan but not Armenia, recognised the Justice for Khojaly awareness campaign initiated on 8 May 2008 by Leyla Aliyeva, daughter of the President of Azerbaijan and General Coordinator of Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue (ICYF-DC), describing the 1992 event as a "mass massacre by Armenian forces of Azerbaijani civilians in the town of Khojaly", and called upon "all member parliaments to give proper recognition to this crime against humanity and support the Campaign on national and international levels.[63][64] In response, the Armenian foreign minister Eduard Nalbandyan said that OIC member-states would not recognize the Khojaly Massacre as a "genocide", and noted that no international or regional organization have made statements that were inconsistent with the Armenian approach to the Karabakh conflict.[65][66][67]
On February 25, 2010, the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Robert A. DeLeo signed a citation, proposed by the state representative Ellen Story, offering "sincerest acknowledgment of the 18th commemoration of the Khojaly Massacre".[68]
According to Azerbaijani news agencies оn March, 2010, head of Lidice municipality in Czech Republic, Josef Klima, said that one of newly-constructed streets in Lidice would be named Khojaly.[69]. Responding to the request of the Czech magazine "Orer" the mayor of the town of Lidice Kellerova Veronica replied that the town of Khojaly had no treaty was concluded, moreover, in Lidice no street by that name [70]
According to Azerbaijani news agencies in 2011, over a million signatures gathered in Netherlands and sent to county’s parliament to support recognition of Khojaly.[71][dubious ][third-party source needed]
On February 25, 2011, New Jersey became the first state that recognized Khojaly Massacre on both legislative and executive levels.[72] In the same month five members of the US House of Representatives, Steve Cohen (D-TN), Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Sue Myrick (R-NC) and Bill Shuster (R-PA), have issued Congressional statements remembering the victims of Khojaly massacre and condemning the crime.[73] On March 3, 2011, the Texas House of Representatives passed a resolution 535 recognizing and commemorating victims of the Khojaly massacre.[74] On February 24, 2012, the Georgia General Assembly passed a resolution 1594 commemorating victims of the Khojaly massacre.[75] The resolution stated following substantiation: Armenia continues to formally deny any responsibility for the tragedy while President Serzh Sargsyan depicted the massacre as an act of revenge to "break stereotypes".
During 20th anniversary of the event, 50,000 Azerbaijanis marched through Baku to commemorate the victims of this tragedy.[76] A rally of 150,000 to 300,000 people with slogans "We are all Khojalians, we are all Karabakhians!" gathered in Istanbul's Taksim Square.[77][78][79][80][81] Anti-Armenian signs were also present, with phrases such as “You are all Armenians, You are all bastards,” and “Today Taksim, Tomorrow Yerevan: We will descend upon you suddenly in the night.”[82][83][84][85][86]
Memorials
There is a memorial in the Hague, the Netherlands, which was initiated by the Azerbaijani diaspora and another one built in Ankara, Turkey, commemorating the Khojaly Massacre.[87][88]
In 2011, Turkish city Isparta's municipality also approved proposal for a memorial to the victims of Khojaly massacre.[89] The same year, another monument for the victims of Khojaly massacre unveiled near Gottfried Benn library in Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough of Berlin.[90][91]
According to Azerbaijani news agencies in February 2012, Bosnian city Sarajevo unveiled memorial to the victims.[92]
Documentary films
- 2011 – Refugee: a long journey of Anar Yusubov (dir. Cem Oghuz)
- 2012 – Between hunger and fire: Power at the expense of lives
Films
- 1993 – Fəryad (dir. Jeyhun Mirzayev)
- 1993 – Haray (dir. Oruj Gurbanov)
- 2012 – Valley of the Wolves: Karabakh (the previous movie from this series got harsh criticism for anti-semitism and denied to be released in some countries[93])
- 2012 – Xoca (dir. Vahid Mustafayev)
Music
- 1996 – Ya Qarabağ, Ya Ölüm (by Dayirman)
- 2010 – Justice for Khojaly (by Dayirman featuring Toni Blackman)
See also
- List of massacres in Azerbaijan
- Nagorno-Karabakh War
- March Days (1918)
- Guba mass grave (1918)
- Black January (19-20/2/1990)
- Malibeyli and Gushchular Massacre (10-12/2/1992)
- Garadaghly Massacre (17/2/1992)
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f Human Rights Watch World Report 1993 - The Former Soviet Union.
- ^ a b c d e de Waal, Thomas (2004). Black garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through peace and war. ABC-CLIO. pp. 172–173. ISBN 0-8147-1945-7.
{{cite book}}
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(help) - ^ Randolph, Joseph Russell (2008). Hot spot: North America and Europe. ABC-CLIO. p. 191. ISBN 0313336210.
{{cite book}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) - ^ New York Times - Massacre by Armenians Being Reported
- ^ TIME Magazine - Tragedy Massacre in Khojaly
- ^ Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus By Svante E. Cornell
- ^ Bloodshed in the Caucasus: escalation of the armed conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, vol. 1245 of Human rights documents, Human Rights Watch, 1992, p. 24
- ^ Letter from the Charge d'affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations Office
- ^ Human Rights Watch / Helsinki Azerbaijan. Seven Years of Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. New York • Washington • Los Angeles • London • Brussels: 1994, p. 6. ISBN 1-56432-142-8
- ^ Template:Tr icon http://www.turksam.org/tr/a2342.html
- ^ http://www.hocalisoykirimi.com/
- ^ State Commission on prisoners of war, hostages and missing persons - Khojaly genocide
- ^ http://edoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de:8080/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/HALCoRe_derivate_00003079/Nagorno-Karabakh%20Conflict.pdf
- ^ Human Rights Watch. Bloodshed in the Caucasus: Escalation of the Armed Conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. ISBN 1564320812
- ^ Доклад общества «Мемориал» (Memorial). Независимая газета, 18 June 1992
- ^ Карабахские депутаты: Ходжалу стал жертвой политических интриг и борьбы за власть в Азербайджане. ИА REGNUM, 25 February 2008
- ^ Hugh Pope, "Sons of the conquerors: the rise of the Turkic world", New York: The Overlook Press, 2006, p. 59, ISBN 1-58567-804-X
- ^ Kristen Eichensehr, William Michael Reisman. "Stopping wars and making peace: studies in international intervention", 2009, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers p. 63,
- ^ Annika Rabo, Bo Utas. "The role of the state in West Asia", Istanbul 2005, p. 175,
- ^ "ДОКЛАД ПРАВОЗАЩИТНОГО ЦЕНТРА «МЕМОРИАЛ»" (in Russian). Memorial. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ Helsinki Watch. "Bloodshed in the Caucasus: Escalation of the Armed Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh" New York, September 1992 p. 21
- ^ a b Letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia from the Executive Director of Human Rights Watch dated March 24, 1997
- ^ Cox, Caroline. "Ethnic Cleansing in Progress: War in Nagorno Karabakh" (pdf).
- ^ Interview of Ayaz Mutalibov, Regnum News Agency
- ^ Template:Ru icon «Антиазербайджанская революция прошла под красным знаменем»: интервью экс-президента Азербайджана Аяза Муталибова ИА REGNUM, 6.02.2006
- ^ http://cpj.org/killed/1992/chingiz-fuad-ogly-mustafayev.php Comittee to Protect Journalists
- ^ Chingiz Mustafayev in Action by Vahid Mustafayev
- ^ Letter to the UN from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
- ^ Markar Melkonian. My Brother's Road: An American's Fateful Journey to Armenia. New York: I.B. Tauris, 2005 ISBN 1-85043-635-5, p.p. 213-214
- ^ Template:Ru icon Романов Ю. "Я снимаю войну...". Школа выживания. Центр экстремальной журналистики. — М.: Права человека, 2001., p. 54
- ^ Victoria Ivleva. The corpses of people killed during the Armenian attack in the streets of the settlement of Khojaly, Nagorno-Karabakh, February 1992. Photograph 1, Photograph 2
- ^ Template:Ru icon Новая Газета, № 24, 9 March 2011. Виктория Ивлева. Дочь войны.
- ^ a b c d "CASE OF FATULLAYEV v. AZERBAIJAN" (pdf). p. 3.
{{cite web}}
:|first=
missing|last=
(help) - ^ .http://www.esiweb.org/index.php?lang=fr&id=321&country_ID=2&slide_ID=13 Repression in Azerbaijan
- ^ "Achteinhalb Jahre Haft und hohe Geldstrafe für Eynulla Fatullaiev" (in German). Reporter without Borders. 2 November 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "Aserbaidschan". Amnesty International. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ Daisy Sindelar (October 03, 2011). "Fatullayev: 'I'm Still Here -- Alive, Working, and Telling the Truth'". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ de Waal, Thomas (2004). Black garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through peace and war. ABC-CLIO. p. 172. ISBN 0-8147-1945-7.
- ^ Bloodshed in the Caucasus: escalation of the armed conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. Human Rights Watch, 1992. ISBN 1564320812, 9781564320810, p. 21
- ^ Красная звезда, 11.03.92. Карабах: война до победного конца? несмотря на категорические приказы командования округа, некоторые военнослужащие 366-го мсп всё же принимали участие на стороне карабахцев в боевых действиях под Ходжалы в двадцатых числах февраля. По крайней мере зафиксировано два таких случая. А при эвакуации личного состава полка десантники на выбор проверили несколько военнослужащих и обнаружили у них большие суммы денег, в том числе и в иностранной валюте
- ^ Fatullayev, Ejnulla (2005). "Karabakhsky Dnevnik". Realny Azerbaijan.
{{cite journal}}
: Unknown parameter|month=
ignored (help) - ^ "Supreme Court upholds Azerbaijani editor's prison sentence". New York: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). 24 August 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "ДОКЛАД ПРАВОЗАЩИТНОГО ЦЕНТРА «МЕМОРИАЛ»" (in Russian). Memorial. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "ДОКЛАД ПРАВОЗАЩИТНОГО ЦЕНТРА «МЕМОРИАЛ»" (in Russian). Memorial. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ a b c Human Rights Watch / Helsinki. Azerbaijan: Seven Years of Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. New York. 1994.
- ^ a b Report of Memorial Human rights center (In Russian)
- ^ Dana Mazalova. "Press conference: Justice for Khojaly" (in Russian). Novosti. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ a b "ДАНА МАЗАЛОВА: "ТО, ЧТО ОНИ ПОКАЗЫВАЮТ, - НЕ ХОДЖАЛУ"" (in Russian). 13 March 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ "More War in the Caucasus". Retrieved 25 February 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|auhtor=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Азербайджанская фальшивка о 366 полке – опять «в единственном экземпляре»" (in Russian). Xenophobia Prevention Initiative. February 28, 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "Armenia should work more to neutralize Azerbaijani falsification-Paskaleva". news.am. January 27, 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "CHODSCHALU: PROPAGANDA MITTELS DER TRAGÖDIE" (in German). EuCfA. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ ""The February victims near Aghdam are a consequence of criminal actions of Azerbaijan's political elite …"". Panorama.am. October 29, 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "Xocali.net a target of hacker attacks from Azerbaijan". Panorama.am. February 27, 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "New Website Exposes Azeri Propaganda; Sets Record Straight On Karabakh Liberation War". Asbarez. February 24, 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "Million signatures of Netherlands' citizens sent to county's parliament on recognition of Khojaly Genocide (PHOTO)". Trend News Agency. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ "Assembly Resolution No. 24". New Jersey Legislature. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ "US New Jersey State recognizes Khojaly Massacre". News.az. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ http://assembly.coe.int/Mainf.asp?link=/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc01/EDOC9066.htm
- ^ http://assembly.coe.int/Mainf.asp?link=/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc12/EDOC12855.htm
- ^ Extensions of Remarks from Congressional Record E463
- ^ Congressional Record 111th Congress (2009-2010)
- ^ "Islamic Conference assembly recognizes Khojaly massacre". news.az. 1 February 2010.
- ^ Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (30–31 January 2010). "RESOLUTION No. 26-PE/6-CONF ON COOPERATION BETWEEN PUIC AND ICYF-DC".
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - ^ "Transcript: Fourth convocation of the seventh session". Armenian National Assembly. 3 February 2010.
- ^ "Глава МИД Армении не думает, что страны ОИК признают события в Ходжалу как "геноцид"". newsarmenia.ru. 3 February 2010.
- ^ "Armenia plays down Islamic Conference recognition of Khojaly massacre". news.az. 4 February 2010.
- ^ "U.S. State of Massachusetts acknowledges Khojaly massacre". AzerTAj. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
- ^ Azerbaijan's Khojaly and Czech Lidice sign protocol of cooperation
- ^ Panorama.am 02 March 2012. "Мэр В. Келлерова: Лидице и Ходжалу не города-побратимы, и такой улицы здесь нет"
- ^ "Million signatures of Netherlands' citizens sent to county's parliament on recognition of Khojaly Genocide (PHOTO)". Trend News Agency. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ "ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 144" (PDF). New Jersey Legislature. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ "U.S. Congressmen Condemn Massacre of Azerbaijani Civilians in Khojaly". PR Newswire. March 4, 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ "Texas House of Representatives Resolution 535: Commemorating the 19th anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre in Azerbaijan". Legislative Session 82(R). Texas Legislature Online. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "50,000 Azerbaijanis commemorate Nagorny Karabakh war deaths". Al-Arabiya News. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "В Стамбуле прошел митинг, посвященный 20-й годовщине Ходжалинского геноцида - ОБНОВЛЕНО". 1news.az (in Russian). Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ Hacaoglu, Selcan. "Turks mark anniversary of attack in Karabakh war". Associated Press. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Rally on 20th anniversary of Khojaly genocide begins at Istanbul's central square". Trend News Agency. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Hocalı katliamına Taksim'de dev protesto". Hürriyet (in Turkish). hurriyet.com.tr. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Taksim Meydanı 'Hocalı' için doldu taştı". Zaman (in Turkey). Zaman.com.tr. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "ANCA Condemns Anti-Armenian Protests in Turkey". Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "Khojaly Massacre Protests gone wrong in Istanbul: ' You are all Armenian, you are all bastards '". National Turk. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "Anti-Armenische Grosskundgebung in der Türkei" (in German). NZZ Online. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "Tausende bei anti-armenischer Kundgebung in Istanbul" (in German). AFP. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "Ultranationalist group responsible for racism at Khojaly rally". Today's Zaman. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ Monument in memory of Khojaly victims to be erected in Ankara city municipality - Today.az
- ^ Commemorative events on 16th anniversary of Khojaly tragedy to be held in 60 cities - Today.az
- ^ "Monument to victims of Khojaly genocide to be erected in Turkish Isparta". news.az. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ "Khojaly monument opened in Germany". news.az. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ "В Берлине состоялось открытие памятника "Ходжалы" - ФОТО". 1news.az. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "В Боснии и Герцеговине будет открыт памятник жертвам Ходжалинского геноцида". 1news.az (in Russian). Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ "'Anti-Semitic' Turkish Blockbuster Denied Release in Germany".
External links
Non-partisan
- CNN International: Capturing war and revolution
- Report of Memorial Human rights center (In Russian)
- Bloodshed in the Caucasus: escalation of the armed conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. Human Rights Watch, 1992. ISBN 1564320812, 9781564320810
- Thomas De Waal, Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War, NYU Press, 2004, ISBN 0-8147-1945-7. Chapter 11. August 1991 – May 1992: War Breaks Out. Online (In Russian): [2]
- Victoria Ivleva. The corpses of people killed during the Armenian attack in the streets of the settlement of Khojaly, Nagorno-Karabakh, February 1992. Photograph 1, Photograph 2
From an Azerbaijani perspective
- Letter to the UN from Azerbaijan condemning the events
- Letter of UN Human rights center
- Justice for Khojaly, ICYF-DC campaign