Son of Turkish president visits Ganja on Azerbaijan’s National Mourning Day PHOTO

Bilal Erdoğan, son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, paid a visit to Martyrs’ Alley in Ganja, Azerbaijan, on January 20, marking the country’s National Day of Mourning.

Erdoğan paid his respects at the graves of those killed and laid wreaths during the ceremony, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

Families of the martyrs, veterans, police and prosecution officials, members of parliament, and members of the public and intellectual community attended the commemoration.

During the visit, the Qazi of the Muslim Religious Community for the Ganja region, Haji Tahir Abbasov, presented Erdoğan with a copy of the Quran.

On the night of 19–20 January 1990, under orders from then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet military, internal, and security forces entered Baku and surrounding regions, violently suppressing civilians. The crackdown involved heavy weaponry and military equipment, resulting in 82 deaths and 20 injuries before a curfew was imposed.

Violence continued in the following days, claiming 29 more lives in Baku and nearby towns, bringing the total civilian death toll to 131, with 744 injured. Victims included women, children, the elderly, medical personnel, and police officers.

The Soviet forces also carried out mass arrests, detaining 841 civilians, 112 of whom were sent to prisons in other cities. Property destruction was extensive, with 200 homes and 80 cars damaged and multiple public and private buildings, including ambulances, set on fire.

These events, widely regarded as atrocities, are commemorated in Azerbaijan as the “20 January martyrs,” with 150 individuals officially recognised, symbolising the resilience of the Azerbaijani people.

By Aghakazim Guliyev