Public events commemorating the tragedy of January 20

A range of events, devoted to the anniversary of bloody January 20 were held by the Ombudsman at the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Azerbaijan, its Regional and Resource centers.

In the commemoration event held in the Office, the memory of our martyrs was remembered with a minute of silence and the Statement of the Ombudsman was sounded. It was emphasized that the Statement was addressed to the UN Secretary-General, UN Security Council, UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Office of High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Human Rights Council, UNICEF, UNESCO, European Union, European Council, OSCE, International and European Ombudsman Institutions, Asian Ombudsman Association, European Network of Ombudsmen for Children, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Association of Ombudsmen of its Member States,  International Peace Bureau, foreign ombudsmen, embassies of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the foreign embassies to Azerbaijan,  also the Azerbaijani Diaspora organizations.

The Statement of the Commissioner is delivered and distributed among participants in the commemoration events and conferences organized by the Embassies of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the foreign countries and the Azerbaijani Diaspora organizations. The Statement of the Ombudsman was submitted to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions in Malaysia, Iran, Bulgaria and Kuwait by the Embassies of the Republic of Azerbaijan to these countries.  

It was mentioned that in the night from the 19^th to the 20^th January 1990 suddenly the troops of the Soviet army were deployed to Baku and Sumgait, other cities and rayons of the country as well, exposed the people to fire using descent groups brought by military vessels, tanks and other heavy military equipment. They killed unarmed civilians mercilessly, including the children, women and elderly thus grossly violated the norms of international law, provisions of the former USSR and Azerbaijan SSR Constitutions. A violent crime against humanity was committed against our multinational people that stood in defense of freedom of the homeland and their own rights.

The Commissioner noted that in that period the National leader Heydar Aliyev made a harsh statement in the city of Moscow on behalf of the Azerbaijani people demanding political assessment of the massacre committed against our people and punishment of the perpetrators.

It was highlighted that upon the recommendation of Heydar Aliyev, Milli Mejlis held a special session and this bloody event was given political-legal assessment. Every year January 20 is commemorated as the National Day of Mourning in our republic and on this day the martyrs are remembered by hundreds of thousands people with deep respect. According to the Presidential Decree, the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan composed of different nationalities, who were killed during the tragedy were awarded with honorary title “Martyr of the January 20”, and in line with the Decree on “Increasing the State care to the persons who became disabled during January 20 events” different measures are implemented, these persons are entitled to relevant allowances by the state and the martyrs’ families are provided with Presidential pensions.

It was stated that this horrible tragedy caused the massacre of the civilian population. Consequently, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international legal documents were grossly violated. Despite being one of the most horrible crimes of the 20^th century for its nature and scale, January 20 events has not been given international legal assessment so far, those ordering and perpetrators of the bloodshed have not been punished yet. Under the international law, the tragedy of January 20 should be assessed as a crime against humanity, because according to article 7 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court, extermination, enforced disappearance of persons, other inhuman acts of a similar character intentionally causing great sufferings, serious injury to body, to mental or physical health are classified as crimes against humanity.

At the end, the statement concluded that supporting just demands of the Azerbaijani people, international organizations and world community should recognize this bloody action as a crime against humanity with international legal assessment for the sake of the deserved punishment of the persons committed this crime.

At the same time, events related to the 29^th anniversary of the tragedy of January 20 were held at the Leadership School of the Resource Center of Ombudsman for Child Rights, uniting more than 100 pupils from various schools in Baku regularly and effectively operating under the Ombudsman's Children and Youth Peace Network, as well as at the Commissioner's Resource Center for the Elderly. In these events the staff members of the Ombudsman Office, the Deputy Chairman of “January 20 Society” and retired military servant, an injured person during those bloody events, a member of “January 20 Foundation” representing martyr families, the representative of the Resource Center for the Elderly, a witness of the tragedy and other guests gave information about the tragedy. The children recited poems on the topic.

Such series of events were held in the school No. 3 in Samukh rayon, school No. 2 in Dashkasan rayon, Ganja city Youth House by the Ganja Regional Center, in Jar village of Zagatala, Turan district in Sheki, Kotuklu village in Gakh rayon by Sheki Regional Center, in the mixed-type children’s home named after O. Mirzayev, Lankaran rayon Girdani municipality, Shaglaser village secondary school, school No. 8 in Jalilabad city, in the Medical College  and Music-Art School, Astara rayon Artuba village secondary school by Jalilabad Regional Center, in Guba city schools No. 3 and 7, Khachmaz and Gusar rayons by the Guba Regional Center of the Ombudsman.

In all the above-mentioned events the statement of the Ombudsman was delivered. The participants stated that despite the events committed in January 20, 1990 was engraved to the memory of our people; it has become a source of national pride and once again proved that the Azerbaijanis are ready to struggle for their freedom and independence.