Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company: KHOJALY GENOCIDE - THE TRAGEDY OF THE 20TH CENTURY

KHOJALY GENOCIDE - THE TRAGEDY OF THE 20TH CENTURY
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Cahid Ismayiloglu on 01 February, 2010 17:10:00
 
"The Khodjali genocide completely targeted against the people of Azerbaijan. It
is a vandalism act in the history of mankind with its inconceivable cruelty and
inhuman punitive methods. At the same time, this genocide was a historical crime
against whole humanity."
Haydar Aliyev
The Khodjali genocide is one of the most terrible and tragic pages of
Azerbaijan history. National leader of Azerbaijan Haydar Aliyev addressed to
the Azerbaijani people on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Khodjali
Genocide: “This cruel genocide entered the history of mankind as one of the
dreadful mass terrors.”
It should be noted that the Azerbaijani people has exposed to the ethnic
cleansing and genocide policy of the Armenian chauvinists within 2 centuries.
The Azerbaijani people were deported from their historical lands and became
refugees and internal displaced people and all these events were followed with
massacres of Azerbaijanis by Armenians. Azerbaijanis were also forced from
their historical lands during the Soviet period. Between the years 1948 and
1953, 150000 Azerbaijanis were deported from Armenia and were settled in Kur-
Araz plain of Azerbaijan. In 1988 250000 Azerbaijanis were deported from their
own lands and Armenia became a mono ethnic country. The events which happened
in Nagorno Karabakh in 1988 and the Armenian ideologists' stupid idea of
building “Armenia from sea to sea”, caused the destruction of villages and
cities, death of millions of innocents and deportation of hundred thousands of
the Azerbaijanis from their own lands.
The Armenian government tried to annex Nagorno Karabakh, violating all
international legal norms and demonstrated its readiness for barbarism and
crime for the sake of its ideology. Khodjali genocide, the tragedy of the 20th
century, is a proof of this aggressive and criminal policy of the Armenians.
This tragedy happened in 20th century is one of the heavy criminal acts not
only against the Azerbaijanis but also whole humanity. This genocide is similar
to the tragedies in Khatin, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Songmi. What was the aim of
Armenians for targeting the Khodjali city? On the one hand, they wanted to
eliminate a strategic hindrance of Nagorno Karabakh where Azerbaijanis
compactly lived. On the other hand, to destroy completely the Khodjali city
possessed all historical and cultural traditions of the Azerbaijani history
from ancient times till today. This special culture is presented as
Khodgali-Gadabay culture in the Azerbaijani history. Cromlechs, dolmens,
Cyclops, kurgans and other monuments, as well as various welfare items are
examples of material culture describing the dynamic of social development.
Destruction of all these monuments and the Khodjali cemetery, which is one of
the ancient cemeteries of the world, are bright samples of the Armenian
vandalism as well as aggression against the world culture.
On February 26, 1992, the Armenian subdivisions committed a genocide act in
Khodgaly city with 7000 population. When they attacked the city, there were
only 3000 locals in the city. The rest of the population had to leave the city
because of blockade within over 4 months. During the genocide act, 613 were
killed, 1000 people of different ages became invalid. 106 women, 63 children
and 70 old people were killed, 8 families were completely annihilated, 25
children deprived of both parents, and 130 lost only one parent. At the night
when genocide act happened, 1275 people were taken hostage, the fortune of 150
out of them remains unknown.It was done by the Armenian military with special
cruelty and barbarism. Meanwhile, second battalion of 366th regiment under the
command of Major Oganian Seiran Mushegovich (at present he is Defense Minister
of illegal regime in Nagorno Karabakh), the third battalion under the command
of Yevgeny Nabokhin, Staff Chief of the 1st battalion and more than 50 Armenian
officers and ensigns of the regiment are the participants of the attack. (From
the investigation files on Khodjali occupation) A part of the city population
was killed in the ambushes when they tried to escape from violence. According
to Memorial Human Rights Center of Russia, 200 corpses had been carried from
Khodjali to Agdam within 4 days, and tens of humiliation facts had been
discovered on them. 181 corpses (130 men and 51 women including 13 children)
were brought for forensic psychiatric examination. According to the results of
the examination, 151 people died from bullet wound, 20 from missile wound and
10 from stab wound. Memorial Human Rights Center of Russia also had discovered
the fact of scalping of the alive.
Khodjali genocide is terrified. Entige, a resident of Khodjali, was burnt
alive, because, she did not repeat the sentence “these territories are a part
of Great Armenia”. Another resident of Khodjali Seriyye Talibova told that 4
Mehseti Turks and 3 Azerbaijanis were beheaded on the Armenian grave. Then they
poked the eyes of 2 Azerbaijanis. The Armenians carried out humiliating acts on
prisoners. They scalped, beheaded the people, cut their other organs, poke the
eyes of children and chopped the stomachs of the pregnant. During the attack,
the enemy used prohibited 5.45 mm caliber cartridges and chemical weapons. All
these facts prove that the Armenians committed genocide against the civilians,
violating the protocols of Geneva Convention. The facts of Khodjali genocide
also terrified the journalists and publicists from Russia, Great Britain,
France, Germany, US and other countries. Khodjali refugees have addressed to
the UN, European Union and OSCE: We, who have become refugees for over 10
years, address with heavy heart and large hope to the peaceful nations of the
world and international organizations. We ask you not to remain indifferent to
the genocide committed by the Armenian aggressors against us. We expect that
the leading international organizations like the UN, EU and OSCE and the
peaceful nations of the world will take drastic measures against the aggression
and tyranny of Armenia.
The international conventions and laws condemn the genocides like the Khodjali
genocide. The Azerbaijani people possesses all legal rights to sue the Republic
of Armenia for genocide before the international Court of the UN, basing on UN
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted on
9 December 1948. The world must know that Khodjali genocide committed not only
against the Azerbaijani people but also the whole humanity. Persons like,
Seyran Ohanian, Serj Sarkisian and Robert Kocharian and others who take high
state posts in Armenia must answer before the international court as the
organizers of this genocide The crime should not remain without punishment.
Armenian military-political aggression must be condemned by the international
community. International organizations, parliaments of the world must give
political-legal evaluation to the Khodjali genocide - military crime, committed
by the Republic of Armenia in the territories of Azerbaijan.
Institute of History of ANAS named after A.Bakikhanov