BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 26. The Chief of the State Security Service (SSS) of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Ali Naghiyev, and employees of the service visited the "Mother's Cry" monument erected in memory of the victims of the tragedy on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, a source in the service told Trend.
The source noted that bouquets were laid in front of the monument, and the dear memory of those who died during the genocide was commemorated with deep respect.
Today marks the 34th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide committed by Armenian armed forces. The Khojaly genocide stands as one of the bloodiest tragedies of Armenia’s occupation and genocide policy against Azerbaijan.
On the night from February 25-26, 1992, Armenian armed forces attacked Khojaly, which had been under blockade since October 1991, with its road and energy connections severed, and carried out mass atrocities against Azerbaijani civilians. The massacre was perpetrated with the assistance of the 366th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the former Soviet Armed Forces.
During the killings, 613 people were brutally murdered, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderly persons. A total of 487 people sustained injuries of varying degrees, 1275 were taken captive and subjected to torture, 8 families were annihilated, 130 children lost one parent, and 25 lost both parents. The fate of many hostages remains unknown.
These atrocities were not merely military operations but part of a policy driven by ethnic hatred and discrimination. Similar targeted massacres against Azerbaijanis in settlements such as Baghanis Ayrim, Jamilli, Karkijahan, Meshali, Malibeyli, Garadaghli, Tugh, and Salakatin further demonstrate the systematic and premeditated nature of the Khojaly genocide.
