Azerbaijan commemorates 33rd anniversary of Bashlibel massacre in Kalbajar

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan has commemorated the victims of the Bashlibel Massacre, describing it as part of a wider pattern of violence during the early 1990s conflict.

In a post shared on X, the ministry marked the 33rd anniversary of the incident, which occurred on 18 April 1993 during the occupation of Kalbajar. 

“33 years ago, on 18 April 1993, during the occupation of Kalbajar, 18 Azerbaijani civilians from Bashlibel village were brutally killed when it was revealed that they were hiding in mountain caves for 18 days following the destruction of their village,” the ministry said.

It added that the incident formed part of what it described as “a systematic campaign of violence, ethnic cleansing, and aggression carried out against Azerbaijani civilians.”

Calling for remembrance, the ministry stressed that “such grave crimes against humanity must never be forgotten” and said: “We honour the memory of the victims of the Bashlibel Massacre.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev