PRESS RELEASE on tragic events taking place in Baku on January 20, 1990

January 20, 2008 - Today people of Azerbaijan mark 18th anniversary of bloody events in the history of Azerbaijan - 20th January 1990. That day is embedded in the memory of Azerbaijani people once and for all, as one of the most appalling pages of violence, inhuman treatment and torture committed against humanity in XX century.

IAhead of that tragic event, our country had been a scene of mass demonstrations whereby people of Azerbaijan were protesting against Armenian claims to annex an internationally-recognized region of Azerbaijan and these protests were intensified due to brutal mass deportation of Azerbaijani population from Armenia.

Under these circumstances on the night of 20 January 1990 under instructions of the Soviet leadership special forces were deployed in Baku, Sumgayit, as well as other regions of Azerbaijan aiming to preserve communist regime and strangle national liberation movement. As a result of joint operation undertaken by 35 thousand-strong armed forces of Soviet Defense and Interior Ministries, and State Security Committee more than 130 civilians were killed, 600 men were wounded, many administrative buildings, houses, transport means were damaged. Elderly, women, children and youth regardless of national, ethnic, religious origin were murdered that day and all these actions demonstrated the same pattern of a dying empire-behavior disclosed in Vilnius and Tbilisi in 1989.

Nevertheless 20th January is not only a mourning day for the history of Azerbaijani people. These very events demonstrated the will of Azerbaijani people to fight for independence, restoration of sovereignty and violated rights. Unprecedented cruelty of Soviet troops could have not stifled dream of freedom in the hearts of Azerbaijanis and our people didn't turn away from its volition.

Alley of Martyrs and other monuments built to immortalize the memory of martyrs has turned to sacred pilgrimage sites for each and every citizen of Azerbaijan. As everybody is aware that Azerbaijan owes its today's development and rapid economic progress to the victims of January 20.


Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.