Appeal of displaced persons from Khodjaly to the United Nations Organization, Council of Europe and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

 

We the witnesses of Khodjaly genocide committed in February 1992 in Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, who miraculously outlived the tragedy, once more appeal with high hope to the UN, CoE, OSCE and all civilized world community, and call for necessity of rendering legal and political assessment to Khodjaly genocide.

In order to realize their plan of creating “Great Armenia”, Armenians, who erected a monument in 1978 on the occasion of the 150 anniversary of their movement to Azerbaijan from Iran, had pursued consistent policy of aggression against Azerbaijan in the last two centuries with the assistance of their foreign accomplices arid committed such crimes against humanity as terrorism, omnicide, deportation and genocide.

Numerous historical documents prove that millions of Azerbaijanis suffering ethnic cleansing and genocide in 1905-1907, 1918-1920, 1948-1953 in their historical ethnic territories were massively murdered and obliged to flee from native lands.

Finally, Armenian separatism and groundless territorial claims against Azerbaijan were raised again in 1988 and Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began. During 1988- 1989, 250 thousand Azerbaijanis, all to the last man were deported from their historical ethnic territories in Armenia , with hundreds of civilians brutally killed meanwhile. Consequently, Armenia became mono-ethnic country, which was a long-cherished dream of Armenians.

Unfortunately, former Soviet leadership and civilized world remained indifferent to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict started in 1988, the barbarity of Armenians and the torment of Azerbaijanis. Encouraged by this indifference, Armenians succeeded in pursuing the policy of genocide against Azerbaijanis and committing historical crimes one after another. 20 percent of the territory of Azerbaijan , including 7 regions around Nagomo-Karabakh, was occupied by Armenian armed forces, more than one million Azerbaijanis expelled from native lands, tens of thousands of people killed, disabled, taken hostage. Hundreds of settlements, thousands of houses, education and health institutions, historical-cultural monuments, mosques, temples, and cemeteries were destroyed, once more proving Armenian vandalism.

Mass slaughter committed by Armenian barbarians against Azerbaijani population of Karabakh in the villages of Kerkijahan, Mesheli, Koushchular, Karadaghly, Aghdaban, terrorist acts in Baku and other cities, and finally the Khodjaly genocide are historical stigma of “suffering and miserable” Armenians. We bring with regret to the attention of the world community that Khodjaly genocide was another link in the chain of great human calamities of the 20 century such as Khatyn, Hiroshima , Nagasaki , and Songmi.

On February 26, 1992 Armenian armed forces, with direct participation of Motorized infantry Regiment 366 of the former Soviet Union dislocated in Khankendi (Stepanakert) attacked Khodjaly city (where 7 thousands Azerbaijani people had been living by that time) from five directions. Armenians had been keeping Khodjaly under complete siege during pr four months. At that very day of attack three thousand people remained in the town. Population was in need of food and medicines. There were a number of sick, wounded, aged men, women and children in the town.

Armenians, with the assistance of their foreign accomplices destroyed to the ground and burned the town by the heavy military equipment of Regiment 366. Civic innocent people were murdered, with children, women, elderly and sick being subject to awful tortures and mutilation. Armenians committed a very grave historical crime — Khodjaly genocide against the Azerbaijanis at the end of the 20 century before the eyes of the civilized humankind. The aim of this action was the omnicide of Khodjaly residents. The majority of the residents remained alive only accidentally to live as witnesses of the tragedy.

As a result of this genocide, 613 peaceful residents were murdered and 1275 taken hostage. The fate of 150 people out of them is still unknown. More than 1000 people were disabled by bullet wound. 83 children, 106 women and 70 elderly were among the killed. 78 people of all the mutilated were minor boys and girls.

As a result of this military-political crime members of 6 families were murdered to the last man, 25 children lost both parents and 130 children lost one them. 56 men were burned with special cruelty, tortured, beheaded and blinded, pregnant women bayoneted.

For 14 years, we, the residents of Khodjaly, living in refuge, appeal to all peaceful peoples and international organizations of the world with heartache mixed with high hope. We do not believe that such authoritative organizations like the UN, CoE and OSCE as well as powerful nations are incapable to bring Armenia , a state which defies international law and human values, to justice and to respect civilized relations between states.

So far non-fulfillment of 4 Resolutions of the Security Council of the UN on unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan damages the image of this organization.

We are convinced that the world community, condemning the military aggression of Azerbaijan by Armenia , will assist in restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan , return of more than million refugees and IDPs to their homes, solution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in a peaceful manner and in the consonance with historical and political justice.

We, having suffered one of the most terrible tragedies of the 20 century, condemning genocide and act of terrorism in its all forms, call the peoples of the world to struggle together for peace and order. We, sounding the alarm to all international organizations, peaceful and authoritative nations, call the humankind to mobilize to solve all conflicts on the Earth and to struggle for a free and prosperous community of people living in peace and order!

The appeal was adopted at the general gathering of displaced persons from Khodjaly, held in Baku , on February 10, 2006 .