Azerbaijan marks 33 years since Balligaya massacre by Armenian forces

Today marks 33 years since the brutal massacre in the Azerbaijani village of Balligaya, carried out by Armenian armed forces during the first Karabakh war.

In the early hours of August 28, 1992, at around 5 am, a heavily armed detachment of Armenian forces attacked the village, killing 24 Azerbaijani civilians in cold blood, Caliber.Az reports.

The victims included six children – among them a six-month-old infant – as well as a 93-year-old woman. The bodies of those murdered, including children, women and the elderly, were burned. Three minors were left orphaned, while nine others sustained severe injuries.

The atrocity, remembered as the Balligaya massacre, is regarded in Azerbaijan as part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide committed by Armenian forces.

It followed other bloody crimes against civilians in Garadaghly, Khojaly and Agdaban, all aimed at the extermination of the Azerbaijani population of Karabakh.

The families who fell victim in Balligaya had been displaced from the Lachin district after its occupation by Armenian troops in the summer of 1992. Forced from their homes, they settled in tents in Balligaya, seeking only to continue their livelihood as herders. 

Their hopes ended in tragedy when Armenian forces launched a ruthless attack, indiscriminately slaughtering the villagers.

For Azerbaijan, the Balligaya massacre stands as a stark reminder of the atrocities committed against its people. It remains a symbol of the policy of terror and aggression pursued by Armenia during the conflict.

By Aghakazim Guliyev