Azerbaijan’s Khojaly genocide justice campaign gains momentum worldwide

Azerbaijan’s campaign for justice over the Khojaly genocide is gaining significant traction worldwide.

A solemn commemorative event and panel discussion dedicated to the Khojaly genocide, organised by the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Friendship Cooperation and Solidarity Foundation (TADIV) and the support of the Azerbaijani embassy and the Turkish parliament, was held in the Turkish parliament.

The event featured prominent figures, including TADIV Chairperson Aygün Attar, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Türkiye Rashad Mammadov, Chairman of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group Samil Ayrım, former Azerbaijani Prime Minister Hasan Hasanov, Secretary-General of the Turkish Parliament Talip Uzun, and various MPs. The panel discussion titled “Khojaly Genocide: Historical Justice and Unforgettable Pain” featured Azerbaijani Ombudswoman Sabina Aliyeva and Turkish Ombudsman Mehmet Akarca.

Following the discussion, a photo exhibition dedicated to the Khojaly genocide was opened in the parliament building, allowing participants to reflect on the tragedy through visual history.

Simultaneously, a memorial ceremony marking the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide was held at the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in the Azerbaijani embassy in Uzbekistan. The event gathered prominent figures from Uzbekistan's science, culture, and arts sectors, as well as local Azerbaijani community members, embassy staff, and public representatives. 

The ceremony began with a minute of silence to honor the victims, followed by the screening of a documentary about the tragedy. In his speech, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Uzbekistan Huseyn Guliyev recounted the brutal events of February 25-26, 1992, when Armenian forces launched an attack on the besieged city of Khojaly. Using heavy artillery and tanks, they carried out a massacre, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians. Ambassador Guliyev stressed that the Khojaly genocide remains one of the most heinous crimes against both the Azerbaijani people and humanity as a whole. He credited the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev for the liberation of Azerbaijani territories and the eventual justice brought to the perpetrators. 

Ambassador Guliyev also highlighted the ongoing global efforts to raise awareness about the Khojaly tragedy. Since 2008, the “Justice for Khojaly!” campaign, initiated by Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva has been instrumental in garnering international recognition for the genocide. The campaign has been successfully executed in countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, with numerous countries acknowledging the atrocity as a mass crime against humanity. As a result, resolutions condemning the Khojaly massacre as genocide have been passed by national legislative bodies in 18 countries, as well as 24 US states. 

In commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, a memorial event called "Justice for Khojaly!" took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, organised by the QALA Greek-Azerbaijani Friendship Association. The event saw participation from local community members and the Azerbaijani diaspora. It began with a moment of silence to pay tribute to the victims of the Khojaly genocide.

Chairman of the Association Rashid Mammadov also addressed the crowd, reminding them that the Khojaly tragedy, where hundreds of innocent lives were lost in brutal acts of violence, has been officially recognized by Azerbaijan’s national leader Heydar Aliyev. In 1994, the Azerbaijani parliament declared February 26 as “Khojaly Genocide and National Mourning Day”, a day to honour the victims and preserve their memory. The “Justice for Khojaly!” campaign was launched on May 8, 2008, to advocate for the global recognition of the Khojaly genocide. This initiative continues to foster political and legal assessments of the atrocity on the international stage. 

In closing, Mammadov urged public organizations to strengthen their efforts in defending Azerbaijan’s legitimate position on the Khojaly genocide at both international and regional forums, as well as through social media platforms. The event concluded with the screening of a documentary and the unveiling of a photo exhibition commemorating the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

The ongoing efforts of the Azerbaijani government, alongside international advocacy campaigns, aim to ensure that the memory of the Khojaly victims is preserved, and justice is served for the atrocities committed.

The Khojaly genocide is the gravest crime 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.

By Naila Huseynova