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The January 20 genocide + Photo Jan 19, 2021 | 09:07 / Important events

This year, our people celebrate the 31st anniversary of the January 20 tragedy. January 20 is not only a tragedy in the history of Azerbaijan but also the first peak of the path to independence of the Azerbaijani people. On that day, our people raised their voices against the slavery of the Soviet empire and fought for national freedom and territorial integrity. The road to the tragedy of January 1990 began in 1988, when the Armenians made territorial claims to the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in order to implement the idea of a "Great Armenia".

On January 20, 1990, an unprecedented war was committed against the next mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from their historical lands in Armenia, the aggressive policy of Armenia, which made territorial claims against our country, and the general public protesting against the patronage of the former USSR leadership. Mourning and a general strike were declared in Azerbaijan after the military operation, which led to heavy losses among the population. At that time, only our national leader Heydar Aliyev, demonstrating political will, came to the Azerbaijani representation in Moscow and made a statement strongly condemning this crime committed by the USSR leadership. After returning to the leadership of Azerbaijan, on the initiative of Heydar Aliyev, in January 1994, the National Council gave a political assessment of the events of January 20.

The tragedy of January 20, which will live forever in the memory of the blood of our people, is widely celebrated every year as a day of national mourning. Today we can proudly say that the people of Azerbaijan have fulfilled their moral duty to the martyrs, and the blood of our martyrs has not remained on the ground. Under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the victorious Azerbaijani army liberated the occupied territories and restored the territorial integrity of our country. The 44-day Patriotic War embodied the national solidarity of our people and their determination to fight for their rights. This victory demonstrated to the whole world that the Azerbaijani people have never reconciled with the occupation and every Azerbaijani is ready to be a martyr for the freedom of our Motherland. Our Martyrs and the Alley of Martyrs will be a source of pride for future generations as a symbol of our freedom, independence, and national will.