Azerbaijan`s diaspora organizations to commemorate 20 January massacre
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijan`s diaspora organizations will hold various events in a number of countries to mark 24th anniversary of 20 January tragedy, AzerTag state news agency reported.
The tragic events of January 19-20, 1990 mark a turning point in the story of Azerbaijan`s independence from the Soviet Union. Every year at the end of January, Azerbaijanis enter a period of mourning for their loved ones who were lost in the attack by Soviet military forces who stormed Baku and murdered hundreds of civilians.
The massacre victims will be commemorated in many countries, including the United States of America, Canada, Latin American countries, Australia and New Zealand, State Committee on Work with Diaspora said.
Commemorative events, roundtables will be organized in Washington, Huston, San-Francisco and other cities of the USA where Azerbaijanis live compactly starting from January 19.
The 24th anniversary of the Black January will be also marked in Magdeburg, Berlin and other cities of Germany.
The memory ceremonies dedicated to the 20 January tragedy will be organized in Haag, Amsterdam and Rotterdam of the Netherlands too. Turkey, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and other countries will also host commemorative events dedicated to the tragedy.
Late at night on January 20, 1990, some 26,000 Soviet special forces called "Alfa" entered Baku without declaring a state of emergency and committed atrocities against the innocent Azerbaijani people. The invasion was launched at midnight and was committed with brutality; even children, women and the elderly were not spared.
In total, some 133 people were killed, 611 wounded, 841 illegally arrested and five went missing as a result of the intrusion of troops into Baku and other regions of the republic.