Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the People`s Republic of China

In international practice conducting military operation there is a rule, by which, in the presence of storm in the placed inhabited locality, attacker side gives a chance to civil people to leave the inhabited locality safely - as it is known "free corridor." This is not just humanity, but also a responsibility of the strong side to keep the rights of the people, its duty to obey to the international established and generally accepted regularity of the conducting military. In the claims of Armenians it was told that, attacker side left a "free corridor" for peaceful people of Khojaly, however they did not use this way and only this brought for many sacrifices. As far as the version about corridor is very popular in Armenian side, let's examine it.

Yes, there was not any free corridor in Khojaly. However, there was an "Armenian" corridor. And it was obtained by Moscow Rights Defense Center "Memorial". What kind of "corridor", what was it destined for, "Memorial" guessed, and understood. "Declared predestination of "free corridor" for people to leave from Khojaly is possible to estimate like a predominated acts of authorities of NKR by cleansinging the town from people, or as it was told by officials of NKR. It was also mentioned that they could not provide a maintenance of human rights in the territories which was controlled by these authorities."

Armenian nationalists differ from the normal people in everything, of course, and in this "corridor" case too. For them the "corridor" is not considered as an important rule, which they should maintain, but it was a good method that could be advantageous to try on. And they have tried it on before and every time, when it seems like important to them.

This is what R. Mamedli wrote (1): "They were attacking Muslim villages, encircling by three sides, purposely, for defenseless village people could "run". By this way, villages were taken by Armenian nationalists. After, by tracing these running people, they just killed them."

Therefore, instead of normal free corridor to survive people, Armenians are applying their, Armenian corridor of death.

By results of Khojaly "corridor" it is not hard to imagine, how it was made up. The city was encircled by three sides, and was left just by one side "free". Rescuing population of the city from mortal danger was throwing itself from side to side and was grouping for “free” passageway and running crazed by "the corridor".

"Corridor" of Khojaly was established at the night: people was jumping out of their beds, house to the snow, half-clothed, in other words in February severe cold in the mountains of Karabakh and were running, to get away from this hell.

In the direction to Agdam, there was intentionally attacker side, which reliably beckoned people to Agdam.

It is hard to believe you, but a writes shares his feelings like this: "As better armed Armenians are and as less saved Turks are, especially ruthless, and more dreadful is Armenian."

The flow of people, which was crazed from ear, was running from Neanderthals with sub-machine-guns. Children were screaming, falling down, hurting knees very badly. The way was not for children and it was not for older people too. The normal way should not be as rocky mountains, insidiously powdered with snow and covered with dangerous slippery ice, at the dark winter night.

Minesh Aliyeva, 50, had a bullet wound in her hand: "...We were shuffling in the forest, by falling through the deep snow." (2)

Crying women were dragging along their children. Old, disabled, injured were urging on people - "Be fast, be fast!" they were moving very quickly as they can, fell, tried to stand up, somebody helps them-helpless people were helping to more helpless ones.

Samad Talibov, 61. His legs were frozen: "...There was a fire everywhere in the city. Scared people were running anywhere they can. We, people nearly 120-130 ran into the Katiy forest. Most of the people were barefoot, without any hats, groggy and jumping out of crutches." (3)

What about on the way?

Sona Aliyeva. Frozen legs, amputated foot nails, was hiding in the forest for 12 days: "...Armenians injured my husband back in Khojaly. He could not and did not want to go with us. But we helped, began to drag him into the forest. He racked with pain and was very thirsty for three days. I gave him a snow but he wanted water. When he was dying he told: "Take off the passport and money from my pocket." I could not take it off. My hand was not moving." (4)

By leaving the frozen bodies of children in the forests covered with snow, died from the wounds and injuries, people finally reached to the different place. Did they really escape? O, no!

Yaver Aliyeva, 7 years old, bullet wound in the hand and the chest. "When shooting began, we went down to the basement of our neighbors. After a time we ran into the forest."

Mother of Yaver, Nasiba Aliyeva: "...We were 40 people neighbors. We began to run... near the bridge we saw 40-armed soldiers dressed like OMONS. They began to talk us in Azeri. We were happy and ran into the direction where they were, and there we saw that they were Armenians... when we turned back they opened a fire to us. From 40 people there were 14 alive..." (5)

The plan of "liquidation of Khojaly", how this "operation" was called by the official representative of Armenia (look above), was composed of some tens of Armenian generals, pupils of Russian army. Everything was going on by this plan, and perhaps everything was done.

When main crowd of refugees came out to the first Armenian inhabited locality, village Katiy, the new phase of "operation" began. It was shooting from the three sides.

Khumar Aliyeva, 19, had fragmentation injuries in the forearm and face: "... We did not know, what to do, where to run... We directed to the mountain of Katiy. Until we reached to the mountain, maybe hundreds of people were lying on the land, which were stroke by enemy bullets...Splinters."

It seems like sacrifices were just because Khojaly people did not use the corridor.

What is the talk about? We know that, main massacre was not in the town, not on the line of fire, so it does not mean that safety is until or in the "corridor." But people already went away from Khojaly (too far away!) alive. Why there should be any talks about "corridor" - was it or not, it does matter? People went out by "the corridor" or by "tunnel" - all of these happened before the massacre. The main massacre happened out of the line of fire, far away from the city and to relate it with "corridor" is pure Armenian nonsense. By the plan, deliberate, conscious, massacres were accomplished out of the town and out of the "corridor". Was it or not, was it "good" or "bad" - the conversation is falling off - "corridor" is remained at the back.

However, the talk is about the operation-possibility to mass killing of people of Khojaly, which was going on the next.

By having information about the number of population-nearly 3000 (!), Armenians knew (having a practice!), that by making one surprise attack, they could not kill all the people…Thousands of chickens is even hard to shot. However, here it is even 3000, let them be women, children, people without guns, but it is too much, but they do not want to skip anyone! In addition, the guarantee for victory of "operations" there was three ambushes (by not counting numerous intermediate posts, from which every "military" was obligated for himself to shoot Azeri and to count, how many of people of this nation is on the snow, although it was difficult - the work was at the night.)

First line of ambush was waiting near the village of Katuk. Although the "operation" was happening at the darkness, but still "there was slaughtered and was taking to slavery some hundreds of Khojaly people." (6)

Was it a mistake? If it was a mistake, then Armenians should inform to their next lines about these mistakes like this: "Do not fire, peaceful people are coming, allow them to go to Agdam."

Oh no! How to miss a catch like this-what are you talking about!. They informed that "Turks attacked us, we could not kill all of them - it was too dark, be ready, sooner they will reach to your place." And the contact between Armenian is very clear, also it was by satellite.

Consequently, by breaking through Katuk fire line, people of Khojaly moved away, to the village Nakhichevanik. At the same time "it was informed them that village Nakhichevanik was beaten off from Armenians."(7) Who informed? Nobody knows. This was also by the plan: In order not to spread over the civil people, for people who could not be stopped in Katuk and who was frozen on the way, to be directed there, to rounding-up, to Nakhichevanik.

And here, as it was planned, dawn came. By the time the forest finished. Moreover, the "main battle" - main massacre was waiting to happen: huge crowd of people who were almost naked, came out the slightly to the hill near the village of Nakhichevanik, where sub-machine-gunners, machine-gunners and tanks were waiting for them. Tanks were against women, children and old people.

And the shooting began from the three sides and semicircle with riflemen was converting into the whole circle. "A target" is clear-black crowd on the white snow. Third color also was appearing, red stains of blood, big and little, near the bodies of big and little people of Khojaly.

Pompoyev writes: Correspondent of "Moscow News" Victoria Ivlyova was walking (by her own confession,) not in the first, but in the second echelon of attackers, and on the distant approach to Khojaly she noticed that "something" is moving in front of her. That was reminding her "a cloud" Cloud was turned out to be a crowd of half-clothed people. She tells: "At the last in the crowd of Azeris one woman was going barefoot with children. She was hardly moving, many times falling down. It was found out that her last child was only two days old."

Future lives of this woman and her children and so other hundreds of people from that "cloud", I had traced from video films, where I could hear the sobbing of cameraman. "The execution of cloud was in the slopping inclination over open sights. People were falling down faced to God, who left them forever." (8)

There, near the village Nakhichevanik, nearly all people were killed or taken as slaves. But still not all of them! Some of them escaped even from this fire line.

Armenians foresaw this too. Escaped people from Nakhichevanik Line of ambush met with third, additional line of fire not far away fro the village Gulabli, and "nearly 200 people of Khojaly were in hands of enemy. One more group of Khojaly people ran into Armenians already near Azerbaijani trenches nearby village Shellie." (9)

In addition, someone broke through this way too. From 23 relatives of Elman Mamedov, the head of executive authority of Khojaly, escaped was just Elman. Vakil Alekberov lost 49 relatives and exe.

Just by the "quality" of Armenian wildness Khojaly massacre was declared as a tragedy by the Congress of United States of America in 1992, although there was killed approximately one thousand people, when in Bosnia and Herzegovina 100 thousands were killed. And wildness happened down there too. However, Armenian wildness surpassed 100 times! This is the logical deduction from the decision of American Congress.

Now, let's think, what is the mind of these "suffering" knackers related to "the corridor" by Armenian thoughts.

1. The method of "corridor" presents better opportunity of killing Turks and other enemies of "Great Armenia" and by possibility in large quantity, in complete safe of Armenians. To kill people in their houses is not safe, especially unarmed women or juveniles. In other case, in the to form an ambush in the field - there was full guaranty of safety of Armenian troop - he is in shelter and armed, but enemies were - women and children - face to face and unarmed.

2. When the firing already had finished, it is possible to come out from concealment and troops were coming out with the pride. Each of them was hero, by accomplishing some acts of vengeance. They were coming near to the bodies, which were groaning-finishing off, here it was comfortably: directly shooting to the head, chest, but better to stab in the head.

3. After the expropriation begins. Tradition! Remind some expropriators like Andrianik, Kamo. Here, where there is not anybody alive this operation could be held more effective and safe. It is well known that in the house nobody would give valuables and even show the place of them. But in the shore out of the town any person takes something that is valuable with him or herself and what they have: jewelry, money checkbooks. Even children, who would take favorite doll or little car. And after they were lying in the ground Armenians were taking everything, nobody would mind! They were taking off earrings, rings if it was unable to take them off they were easily cutting the fingers, ears. (11). There were even brilliants. Sometimes Armenians begin to argue about taking the jewelry and in this case, commander takes all valuables to himself. However, taking off the golden teeth they need pliers. Good job expropriators!

4. After collecting the valuables, the collectivization starts. There are different collectors, who collected aural cavity, who women nipples but especially inveterate scalpels. (12). Collection action is not just a hobby. It also brings money: in NKR is can be sold in rubles and in dollars. It depends what kind of thing can be sold. It depends what and how many. If you will collect 40-it is going to be very good profit. It is very good, useful and cultured.

5. "Corridor" - better method for saving the safety of property and cleanness of ecology. By "corridor" enemy inhabitants (Azeris) going away by their own - free will, without opposition and: leaving everything: houses, properties, cattle - with safety and normal, by not collapsing. Even the blood was not soiled in the house. It can be dirtied far away out of Khojaly. That is what to show by great Azeri heart to Armenian families (13) in clean view and nearly in good manner.

6. However, other cleanness was needed. The cleanness of hands. If people are leaving everything without any tracks, opposition, breaking the rules and blood, so people emptied the town "by their own free will" (Look "Izvestiya", 04.03.92), them nobody could ask about: where is the population of the town?". "They went out, we do not know, anywhere". It was done like this before too in Azerbaijan and Turkey. In addition, there, out of city, it is possible to kill people and throw them out in the pits (14). Everything is clean. If hands are clean then the conscience is too (But in Khojaly they could not take the death bodies out of the ground, there were too many)

Khojaly. Why did it happen at he end of XX century? Human cuts off the head of alive human, by publicity, burns alive people, makes a dance party in front of burnt bodies…

1. Mamedli Rovshan. "Veten sesi" (Baku, 33-36, December 1990)
2. Yagublu Nasiman. "Massacre of Khojaly" - Baku, Azerneshr 1992, page 128
3. In the same place, page 38
4. In the same place, page 37
5. Hijran Farida. Karabakh, pain of mine. - Baku Ganjlik, 1992, page 30
6. Yunusov Arif. Tragedy of Khojaly. Newspaper "Zerkalo" (Baku, No. 25-27, 1992)
7. In the same place.
8. Pompeyev Y.A. "Bloody maelstrom of Karabakh". -Baku, 1992 page 8
9. Yunusov Arif. Tragedy of Khojaly. Newspaper "Zerkalo" (Baku, No. 25-27, 1992)
10. "Memorial" Moscow Rights Defense Center. Report. Newspaper "Azadliq" (Baku), 12.06.92
11. In the same place
12. In the same place
13. In the same place
14. Mamedli Rovshan. "Veten sesi" (Baku, 33-36, December 1990)