Azerbaijan marked the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly massacre, with Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva calling for international recognition of the 1992 tragedy as an act of genocide and emphasizing the need for accountability for those responsible.
In a statement, Aliyeva condemned the massacre as one of the bloodiest chapters in modern history, describing it as part of Armenia's longstanding policy of ethnic cleansing and deep-seated animosity toward Azerbaijanis.
On the night of February 25-26, 1992, Armenian armed forces, aided by the 366th Motorized Regiment of the former Soviet Army, launched an attack on the town of Khojaly in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region. The assault resulted in the deaths of 613 civilians, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderly individuals. Over 5,300 residents were forcibly displaced, and the fate of 150 people—68 women and 26 children—remains unresolved.
Aliyeva asserted that the massacre violated numerous international laws, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the Genocide Convention, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, highlighting violations of fundamental rights such as the right to life and protection from torture.
In 1994, the Azerbaijani parliament officially recognized the Khojaly massacre as genocide following an initiative by the country’s late national leader, Heydar Aliyev, who declared February 26 as the Day of the Khojaly Genocide. The "Justice for Khojaly" campaign, led by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, has been instrumental in raising global awareness of the tragedy and advocating for its recognition as genocide. To date, 18 countries, 24 U.S. states, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) have either recognized the massacre as genocide or condemned the killings.
Aliyeva also pointed to recent forensic excavations in territories retaken by Azerbaijan during the 2020 Second Karabakh War and 2023 operations, which uncovered additional mass graves, further substantiating the atrocities committed during Armenia’s occupation.
Despite repeated calls for cooperation, Armenia has not provided any information regarding nearly 4,000 Azerbaijanis still missing from the First Karabakh War, Aliyeva noted, nor has it disclosed the locations of mass graves.
The Ombudsman referenced statements by Armenian officials, including former President Serzh Sargsyan, and testimonies from individuals accused of war crimes, as evidence of the intentional nature of the Khojaly massacre. Books by Armenian figures, such as Markar Melkonian and Zori Balayan, were also cited to confirm the scale of violence.
Aliyeva urged international organizations and world governments to formally recognize the Khojaly massacre as genocide and ensure that those responsible are held accountable. The statement was sent to the United Nations, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and various ombudsman institutions, calling for global solidarity and legal accountability.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
