The Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow held a mourning event dedicated to the memory of victims of the tragedy of January 20, 1990 in Baku. The correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza reports that the press release of the diplomatic mission was read out at the beginning of the event.
"Back then, in January 1990, the Soviet government, losing the control over the situation in the country, resolved to do a ruthless act of brutal massacre against the peaceful population of Baku. In violation of the constitutions of the USSR and the Azerbaijan SSR, without declaring a state of emergency, heavy armored Soviet soldiers and special units carried out massacre in the streets of the city. As a result of which, hundreds of innocent people were killed and wounded, including children, women, old people, disabled people, representatives of different nationalities and religions," Azerbaijani diplomats recalled.
The power unit of the Baku TV center was blown up to prevent the AzSSR from reporting a crime against its people. "On January 21, 1990, the outstanding politician Heydar Aliyev made a statement in Moscow, in the building where the Azerbaijani embassy is now located, condemning the organizers of the tragedy, calling their actions anti-human, anti-democratic and illegal. Then the public first learned the truth about the tragedy and heard a principled position on the condemnation of the crime committed by the then leaders of the USSR," the press release of the Azerbaijani embassy in Russia says.
"The action of violence and bloody terror did not reach its goal. The people of Azerbaijan were not broken. Its hopes were embodied in the present independent Azerbaijan Republic, whose citizens every year come to the Alley of Martyrs to commemorate innocent victims of state terror. We appeal to the eternal memory of the dead," Azerbaijani diplomats concluded.
Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, also addressed the event. "Every nation, every country has tragic pages that people never forget. January 20, 1990 is one of such grave tragic pages in the history of the Azerbaijani people. No matter how long ago it was, those who survived these tragic days will always remember this terrible night when peaceful Baku citizens died. It is probably the worst thing - when the state starts to push its citizens with tanks. It was the red line after which it became clear that the Soviet Union will no longer exist. I remember very well how the Azerbaijanis carried bags of the Communist Party party membership cards and burned them right on the streets," he said.
Polad Bulbul oglu drew attention to the importance of preserving the memory of this crime. "I want to stress once again that Azerbaijanis and those living in Azerbaijan should never forget about this: Azerbaijan is a sovereign state, respected in the world, and it would be the best answer to those aggressors who dared to raise their hands to the Azerbaijani people. As long as the Azerbaijani people exist, they will always remember this tragic date and remember the heroes who died for the liberation of the country, for democracy, for that sovereign Azerbaijan, which lives and develops now," the ambassador concluded.
