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24 February 2017

APA

Azerbaijani Parliament commenced a plenary meeting Friday commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

A bill “On the 25th anniversary of the Khojaly Genocide” is being discussed in the meeting.

First Deputy Speaker Ziyafat Asgarov is presenting the bill.

The bill reaffirms the Azerbaijani parliament’s decisions (dated 24 February 1994, 24 February 1995, 27 February 2007 and 24 February 2012) on the assessment of the massacre committed by Armenian military units, Armenian armed groups stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh and the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly on the night of 25-26 February 1992 as a crime of genocide.

According to the document, Azerbaijani MPs are instructed to ensure during their visits to foreign countries and participation in international events a wider dissemination of the acts of genocide that the Azerbaijani people were subjected to over the past 100 years, as well as the truth about the Khojaly genocide and effectively use the opportunities of inter-parliamentary working groups.

Law enforcement authorities are recommended to continue measures to identify and bring to justice those who participated in the act of genocide committed in the town of Khojaly.

The relevant governmental and non-governmental bodies, including non-governmental organizations are recommended to consolidate efforts with a view to wider dissemination of information about the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and expose the false Armenian propaganda.

The relevant state bodies of Azerbaijan are instructed to appeal to parliaments of foreign countries and international organizations in order to achieve the recognition of the Khojaly massacre as an act of genocide.

On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed as a result of the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.