Statement by the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan Ms. Sabina Aliyeva concerning the 29th anniversary of the Bashlibel massacre

“Today 29 years have passed since the Bashlibel massacre.

As a result of the genocide, deportation, ethnic cleansing, and occupation policy of Armenia against Azerbaijan based on the hatred, thousands of innocent Azerbaijanis became victims of crimes of genocide by mercilessly murdering.  

One of the war crimes, committed against human beings and resulted in mass extermination, occurred during the occupation of the Bashlibel village of the Kalbajar district of Azerbaijan in April of 1993. This act of crime resulted in a bloodbath of the villagers, including children, women, persons with disabilities, and the elderly as a result of torture. Some of them were even burnt alive.     

During the occupation of the Bashl?bel village by Armenia, 62 civilians took refuge in a cave to escape, but when Armenians identified their place, they were subjected to an armed attack and  killed.     

After the liberation of the Kalbajar district, the Azerbaijani side identified a mass burial of those civilians, who were brutally massacred by Armenian armed forces and buried near the cave by their co-villagers. The remains of those massacred residents were exhumed, identified, and buried separately. The survivors’ testimonies also confirm that there were hostages among the residents during the Bashlibel massacre and there are still persons, reported missing.

The historical, cultural, and religious objects in Bashlibel, which was one of the oldest and largest villages of Kalbajar were destroyed.   

As a result of the Bashlibel massacre committed by Armenia, which also resulted in vandalism against the historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, the international law norms on human rights were once again severely violated.  

We believe that the perpetrators of numerous crimes committed by Armenia against peaceful Azerbaijanis, including the Bashlibel massacre, will soon be brought to justice.”