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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 25 - 26, 2003 AZERBAIJAN SOCIETY OF AMERICA COMMEMORATES KHOJALY GENOCIDE Exactly on this night, 11 years ago, Azerbaijani town of Khojaly has been obliterated by the armed forces of Armenia with the active support of 366th regiment of Russian army based in Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As the result of this heinous crime against humanity, 613 people, including 106 women and 83 children were brutally massacred. Bodies of 56 people, including children and elders, were mutilated by Armenian troops. 1275 people were taken hostage, including 150, whose fates are unknown up to now. Facts of this brutal massacre, carried out by the Armenian army, were documented by the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Washington Times, "Time" magazine, Russian Rights' Group "Memorial", and many other media, governmental and non-governmental, national and international organizations. The most comprehensive accounts of this crime were published by the American writer and journalist Thomas Goltz. Yet Armenian aggressors not only deny their primary responsibility for this genocide, but even try to accuse then-Azerbaijani government and opposition of perpetrating a crime against their own nation. The weakness and indecisiveness of Azerbaijani government, led by then-president Ayaz Mutalibov, in defending Azerbaijani citizens from Armenian aggression is undeniable. But inability to defend does not justify the crime or its real actor, the Armenian aggressors. Pursuing its policy of ethnic-cleansing on Azerbaijani lands, under the fake slogan of "self-determination of Karabakh", Armenia occupied close to 20% of Azerbaijani territory, including the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts. Nearly 800,000 internally displaced persons, 200,000 Azeri refugees from Armenia, over 30,000 killed in 6 years of armed conflict are the results of Armenian expansionist and genocidal policy. Four unfulfilled UN Security Council Resolutions (822, 853, 874, 884) called for Armenia to stop its aggression and ethnic cleansing, yet the world community remains indifferent to the state of execution of these resolutions. Recent blatant remarks of Armenian president Robert Kocharian about "ethnic incompatibility" of Azeris and Armenians (e.g. "We are talking about some sort of ethnic incompatibility." Robert Kocharian addressing Russian Diplomatic Academy in January 2003) once more reveals neo-fascist nature of Armenian establishment. But the lack of reaction to such statements on behalf of world community is rather disturbing to thousands of Azerbaijanis, who suffer from Armenian aggression. Today, ASA remembers and mourns the souls of those massacred in Khojaly as well as the victims of Armenian occupation in the following years. Azeri Americans appeal to the world community to recognize Khojaly massacre as an act of genocide, and Armenia as an aggressor state ignoring U.N. resolutions. Let the souls of Khojaly victims rest in peace.
The Azerbaijan Society of America is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing knowledge about the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azeri people, their culture and history. |