Azerbaijan commemorates victims of January 20 tragedy in Belarus, Russia PHOTO

An event dedicated to honoring the victims of the January 20 tragedy has been held at the embassy of Azerbaijan in Belarus.

"On January 17, a memorial ceremony was held at the embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Belarus to mark the 35th anniversary of the January 20 tragedy," Caliber.Az reports, citing the embassy’s message on X.

17 января 2025 года в Посольстве Азербайджанской Республики в Республике Беларусь состоялась церемония почтения памяти, посвященная 35-й годовщине трагедии 20 Января #BlackJanuary #35thanniversary pic.twitter.com/ylCa9PSU8g

— AzEmbassy in Belarus (@azembassy_minsk) January 17, 2025

A photo exhibition and commemorative event dedicated to January 20 – National Mourning Day were held at the Azerbaijani Consulate General in Russia’s Yekaterinburg city. 

The representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora, youth, and consulate staff attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition and the memorial event. Participants had the opportunity to explore the exhibition and laid flowers at a display prepared with archival photos related to the January 20 tragedy. The attendees honoured the memory of the martyrs, and a film about the events of January 20 was shown during the ceremony. 

While speaking at the event, Acting Consul General Shohrat Mustafayev emphasised that the January 20 events, the 35th anniversary of which is commemorated this year, reflected the indomitable will of the Azerbaijani people and their ability to always shape their own destiny. He noted that January 20, which became known in Azerbaijan's modern history as "Black January" is a heroic chapter in the history of Azerbaijani people, a turning point in the fate of modern Azerbaijan, and a decisive factor in the formation of national identity and the restoration of state independence. At the end of his speech, Mustafayev emphasised that the declaration of 2025 as the Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty in Azerbaijan, upon the decree of President Aliyev, holds special significance. 

He highlighted that the January 20 events demonstrated to the world the great heroism of Azerbaijani people on the path to independence and sovereignty. The speakers who followed, including Deputy Director of the Azerbaijani "Oasis" School Aytan Bahshiyeva, Chairman of the Azerbaijan-Ural National Cultural Public Organisation Shahin Shikhlinskii, Professor at the Yekaterinburg Mining University Niyaz Valiyev, Head of the Azerbaijani Youth Union of Russia (AMOR) branch in Sverdlovsk Region Togrul Hasanzade and representatives of the youth emphasised that the January 20 events represent a page of heroism in the history of Azerbaijani people. On the same day, pupils of the Azerbaijani "Oasis" School created a composition of their drawings dedicated to the January 20 events.

Entry of combat units of the Soviet army on January 20, 1990 against the broad masses of people who came out on the streets and squares in Baku to express their strong protest against the aggressive actions of Armenia, which put forward territorial claims to Azerbaijan, and the patronage of the USSR leadership, led to an unprecedented tragedy.

On the night of January 19-20, 1990, without prior declaration of a state of emergency, the Soviet army launched military operations against the people of Azerbaijan. During this tragedy 147 people were killed, 744 were seriously wounded, 841 people were illegally arrested. As a result of the Soviet army’s operations, 200 apartments, houses, and private and state property were destroyed.

January 20 is a bloody and at the same time heroic page of Azerbaijan's history.

In memory of the victims of these tragic events, January 20 was declared the Day of National Mourning in Azerbaijan.

By Naila Huseynova