Regional Centers of the Ombudsman hold a series of events dedicated to the 28th anniversary of Khojaly Genocide

Regional Centers of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman)  of the Republic of Azerbaijan held a series of events dedicated to the 28^th anniversary of the Khojaly Genocide. During the events organized by the Ombudsman’s Ganja, Sheki, Guba and Jalilabad Regional Centers in Goygol, Tovuz, Dashkesen, Goranboy, Gabala, Balaken, Sheki, Zagatala, Oguz, Gakh, Guba, Shabran, Khachmaz, Salyan and Jalilabad, it was brought into the attention that Khojaly tragedy is a bloody page of the policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing by aggressive Armenian nationalists against the Azerbaijani people. This was emphasized that this tragedy is both a crime against humanity and a fact of genocide. As a result, people were brutally murdered and subjected to torture because of their ethnicity - being the Azerbaijanis. At the same time, eight families were completely annihilated, 130 children lost one of their parents, 25 children lost both parents, 1275 people were taken hostage and tortured, and the fate of 150 of them, including 68 women and 26 children, is still unknown. This  was noted that this genocide is a clear proof of Armenian vandalism.

The events held by regional centers focused on the work carried out in order to convey the historical truths about Khojaly Genocide to the world community. It was noted that at the initiative of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev, the tragedy was given a political and legal assessment. At the same time, it was also stressed that consistent and purposeful measures in this direction are being continued under the leadership of the President Ilham Aliyev and international campaign “Justice for Khojaly!” initiated by the Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva has yielded effective results. It was noted that the relevant documents of the parliaments of several countries confirmed the mass killings committed  in Khojaly as an act of genocide; the executive and legislative bodies of 22 States of USA strongly condemned the Khojaly tragedy assessing it as a massacre.

During the events, this was also highlighted that the Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva’s statement on the 28^th anniversary of Khojaly genocide was addressed to the UN Secretary General, UN Security Council, OHCHR, UNHCR, UN Human Rights Council, the heads of the UNICEF, UNESCO, heads of European Union, Council of Europe, OSCE, the International and European Ombudsman Institutes, Asian Ombudsman Association, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Ombudsman Association of its member states, Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the OIC, European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC), International Peace Bureau, ombudsmen and national human rights institutions of different countries, embassies of the Republic of Azerbaijan in foreign countries, foreign embassies in Azerbaijan and the Diaspora organizations of Azerbaijan.