A black stain on human history: Khojaly Massacre

Azerbaijanis commemorate the victims of the massacre committed by Armenian forces in Khojaly on February 26, 1992, without any regard for women, children and the elderly.

Armenians, who started making territorial claims against Azerbaijan after the collapse of the Soviet Union and launched offensives, took action to occupy Khojaly, which they had blockaded in the last days of 1991. Khojaly, home to the only airport in the region, held strategic importance.

The Armenians, who intensified their months-long attacks on February 25, 1992, attacked Khojaly from three sides at night with the help of the 366th motorized regiment of the Soviet Russian army, which was then based in Khankendi.

Not content with mere occupation, Armenians committed one of the bloodiest massacres of the 20th century, killing civilians en masse and brutally torturing prisoners.

In Khojaly, which was previously home to 7,000 people, 613 Azerbaijani citizens—including 106 women, 70 elderly individuals, and 63 children—were killed. A total of 487 people survived the massacre with severe injuries, while Armenian forces captured 1,275 people, 150 of whom remain unaccounted for.

During the massacre, eight families were completely wiped out, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent.

Forensic medical examinations and witness testimonies clearly prove that the inhabitants of Khojaly were subjected to unimaginable tortures, such as scalping, being burned alive, and having their noses, genitals, or eyes removed—regardless of gender, age, or condition. Among the victims were individuals who were beheaded and burned, as well as pregnant women whose bellies were bayoneted. The images and photographs taken at the time reveal the magnitude of the massacre.

According to Azerbaijan, what happened in Khojaly constitutes a serious violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and many other international agreements.

In a ruling dated April 22, 2010, the European Court of Human Rights classified the events in Khojaly as acts tantamount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.

To date, the parliaments of 18 countries and 24 U.S. states have adopted resolutions condemning the events in Khojaly and recognizing them as genocide.

Khojaly residents return to their reconstructed ancestral homeland

During the anti-terror operation conducted by the Azerbaijani army on September 19, 2023, Khojaly was reclaimed by its rightful owners.

Although the massacre remains a black stain on human history and the pain in people's hearts will never fade, the liberation of the occupied territories has provided some solace to Azerbaijanis.

The Azerbaijani government continues infrastructure, reconstruction, and resettlement efforts in Khojaly. So far, 766 people (164 families) have been able to return to their ancestral homeland.

They want justice to be served

Meanwhile, Azerbaijanis, who still feel the pain of the massacre in their hearts despite the passage of 33 years, have been commemorating their martyrs, whom they previously mourned as "defeated," as "victors" for the past five years, following their army’s victory in the 44-day Second Karabakh War in 2020.

Azerbaijanis demand that the perpetrators of the Khojaly Massacre be brought to justice. Some of the perpetrators were detained during the anti-terror operation conducted by the Azerbaijani army in September 2023. The judicial process against them is ongoing.