Türkiye commemorates Khojaly genocide victims
With series of events/PHOTO

REGION 25 February 2024 - 11:47

A ceremony honouring the memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide has been held in the city of Manisa, Türkiye.

In general, a series of events dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide are presently being held in Türkiye, Azertag reports.

The event "We have not forgotten, we will not let forget" was held at Celal Bayar University by Manisa Buyuksehir Municipality together with the Federation of Turkish-Azerbaijani Associations, Manisa Azerbaijani Culture and Solidarity Association.

Participants of the event were familiarized with the photo exhibition on Khojaly genocide organized at the University, booklets and brochures published by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation were distributed to them.

The memory of those who died for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Turkey was honored, the national anthems of the two brotherly countries were played.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of Manisa Association of Azerbaijani Culture and Solidarity Senturk Hosgul and Vice-Rector of Celal Bayar University Prof. Kadir Ay talked about the Khojaly genocide and its tragic consequences.

Then reports of Emir Aliyev, rector of the Academy of Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan, professor of Law Faculty of Baku State University and Murat Yildirim, associate professor of Jalal Bayar Irfan University were heard.

At the end, the documentary "Torture Tower - Shusha Prison" was shown.

Another ceremony to commemorate the victims of the Khojaly genocide was held in Eskisehir province. At the opening of the event organized by Eskisehir Azerbaijanis Association, national anthems of Azerbaijan and Turkey were sounded, the memory of the Shehidis was honored with a minute of silence.

The host of the event Fidan Huseynli recited a poem dedicated to Khojaly.

Then a video about the Khojaly genocide was screened.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Association Javid Aydın, his deputy Sirac Yağuboğlu and Professor Gökhan Güneysu of Turkey's Anadolu University recounted the bloody massacre committed against the civilians of Khojaly. They emphasized that this brutal crime will not be forgotten even after centuries.

An event was also held in Izmir to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy. The event, held at Ataturk Bornova Altındağ Culture Center, was organized by TADEF together with the Izmir Azerbaijani Culture and Solidarity Association.

First, the national anthems of Azerbaijan and Turkey were sounded, and the memory of the martyrs was honoured.

Within the framework of the event, reports on Khojaly genocide were heard by professors of Turkish Dokuz Eylul University Gulmira Kuruoglu and Ulviya Aydin, as well as professor of Law Faculty of Baku State University Emir Aliyev.

Then a video about the Khojaly tragedy was shown.

Advisor to the Chairman of the Federation of Turkish-Azerbaijani Associations Parviz Mammadzada and Deputy Chairman of Bornova Municipality Barbaros Tasher also spoke at the event.

The Khojaly genocide is the gravest crime of genocide committed against peaceful Azerbaijani people in the course of Armenia’s aggressive war against Azerbaijan. On the night of February 25-26, 1992, in violation of all international legal norms, Armenian armed forces attacked the civilian population of the sieged town of Khojaly with heavy military equipment, killing them with unprecedented brutality and razing the town to the ground.

As a result of crime against not only the people of Azerbaijan but against humanity, 613 civilian Azerbaijanis, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 elders were brutally murdered on grounds of national identity. The Khojaly genocide is one of a series of acts of mass slaughter aiming to crush those who rose up for the defence of their lands from Armenian armed forces’ aggression, to break their will to fight and annihilate the Azerbaijani population of Nagorno-Karabakh.