Azerbaijani Ombudswoman makes statement on 33rd anniversary of Khojaly genocide

Azerbaijan's Ombudswoman, Sabina Aliyeva, has issued a statement on the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, emphasizing the horrific nature of the event and its lasting impact.

"Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, perpetrated by Armenia as part of its long-standing policy of ethnic cleansing, hatred, and genocide against the Azerbaijani people, which has become one of the bloodiest chapters in human history," said Aliyeva in her address, Caliber.Az reports.

The tragedy occurred on the night of February 25-26, 1992, when Armenian armed forces, supported by the 366th Motorized Regiment of the former Soviet Army, attacked the city of Khojaly. Aliyeva highlighted the immense human toll, stating, “613 Khojaly residents, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 older persons, were mercilessly murdered, and 5,379 residents of the city were forcibly evicted as a result of this genocide committed not only against the Azerbaijani people but against all mankind."

She further noted the continued uncertainty regarding the fate of many victims: “The fate of 150 people, including 68 women and 26 children, from the 1275 residents who were held hostage at the time is still unknown.”

Aliyeva pointed to several key international legal frameworks that were violated during the massacre, stating, “As a result of the commission of the Khojaly genocide, the norms of the 1949 Geneva Conventions related to the Protection of Victims of War, the Genocide Convention, the Convention against Torture, and Other Cruel or Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Right of the Child, the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, especially the right to life, the right to personal integrity, the right to property, the right to be free from torture, and other fundamental rights have been seriously violated.”

Aliyeva also referenced Azerbaijan’s efforts to raise awareness and secure international recognition of the genocide. “The first political and legal recognition of the Khojaly genocide was given by the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the initiative of Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader, and 26 February was proclaimed as the Day of Khojaly Genocide.” She further recognized the "Justice for Khojaly" campaign, spearheaded by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which has spread awareness about the genocide worldwide, leading to official condemnations by 18 countries, 24 U.S. states, and several international organizations.

The Ombudswoman also addressed recent efforts to uncover the truth about the atrocities, referring to forensic excavations in the liberated areas. “During the building and reconstruction works and forensic excavations that have been carried out in the liberated areas that started after the Second Karabakh War and local anti-terror operations conducted in 2023, the mass graves discovered in those areas, as well as in the vicinity of the Asgaran fortress in Khojaly district once more evidently demonstrate that in the period of occupation, as well as during the commission of the genocide in Khojaly, the Armenian servicemen killed Azerbaijanis mercilessly.”

Aliyeva emphasized Armenia’s failure to take responsibility, stating, “Despite our repeated requests, Armenia has failed to take any serious measures to determine the fate of the nearly four thousand Azerbaijanis who went missing during the First Karabakh War, as well as to provide accurate information about the mass graves where our compatriots who were killed by torture have been buried.”

She also referenced the words of former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and other figures, asserting that the genocide was part of a deliberate policy of ethnic hatred. “Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's statements about the Khojaly genocide at the time, as well as the notes about the indiscriminate crimes committed by the Armenian military in the book ‘My Brother's Way: One American's Fateful Journey to Armenia’ by Markar Melkonian, brother of international terrorist Monte Melkonian, further demonstrate that this massacre was carried out on purpose as a result of the policy of ethnic hatred against the Azerbaijani people."

Aliyeva concluded by calling for international accountability: “International organizations and world states should not be indifferent to this crime of genocide, give legal evaluation to the Khojaly genocide, and increase efforts to make sure that those persons who committed this crime get the penalty they deserve.”

By Vugar Khalilov