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Elnur Enveroglu

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The thirty-year occupation is also a bitter consequence of the tragedies committed in the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan. Behind these three decades there are dozens of tragedies, murders and war crimes. Meshali tragedy has been recorded in history as one of those events.

The village of Meshali, once located in the heart of the mountains with its charming nature, ice springs, green and deep forests has been completely erased from the face of the earth today. On December 23, 1991, at around 7 o'clock in the morning, Armenian terrorist groups surrounded the village, brutally murdered the local villagers, burned and looted every last house. Since there was a huge loss of life that morning, the incident was written down in history under the name of the village - Meshali tragedy.

According to preliminary information, Armenians killed more than 30 Azerbaijanis (elderly people, women, children) and brutally burned many of them. There were people who went missing during the tragedy. No one survived from the houses of 3 families of the villagers, 14 women, children and old people were burned alive.

32 years have passed since the massacre in Meshali village of Khojaly region, which is still under the control of the separatist and occupying Armenian regime under the protection of the Russian "peacekeeping" contingent.

Actual genocide was committed in Meshali. The bodies of innocent people were transported by helicopters for two days.

Investigations after the tragedy once again proved that by committing such massacres, Armenians received special instructions from Moscow and Yerevan to completely clear the former ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ of Azerbaijanis.

Looking at the chronology of the events, it can be clearly seen that the reasons for the massacres committed in Meshali village of Khojaly district are somewhat practical in nature. In other words, it is clear that the human crime in Meshali was also a preparation for the Khojaly genocide that took place only 3 months later. Unfortunately, the world community's indifference and lack of reaction to the Meshali tragedy laid the groundwork for the Armenian fascists to commit a larger-scale genocide on February 26, 1992.

The occupation of Garabagh was also remembered for the murders committed by Armenian terrorist groups. Although the lands freed from occupation after the Patriotic War are somewhat salve for this wound, it is difficult to forget the history. Because the perpetrators of this crime have not yet received the punishment they deserve.

It is no coincidence that the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in one of his speeches, made the following statement about the Armenian criminals involved in the murders: "I am sure that one day the Armenian criminals who committed the Khojaly tragedy, showed cruelty to the civilian population, and destroyed the civilian population will answer before the court. That day will come."

Yes, the honourable President was right and that day is near.

It should be noted that on February 26, 2023, when President Ilham Aliyev visited the Khojaly Genocide Memorial, he stated that he identified the exposure of the perpetrators of the Khojaly Genocide and wide awareness of the international community as one of the priority areas of Azerbaijan's foreign policy.

Just the other day, the detention of the participant of the Meshali genocide once again shows that the state of Azerbaijan has not forgotten the atrocities committed against the civilian population and that the criminals involved in the genocide against our people will not be able to escape liability.

For example, until the end of the last century, Israel pursued war criminals and brought them to justice regardless of where they were hiding in the world. Some Holocaust survivors sought to keep the issue of justice for Nazi crimes alive. Chief among these was Simon Wiesenthal. After being liberated from Mauthausen concentration camp, he worked for the War Crimes Section of the United States Army. In 1947 he opened the Jewish Historical Documentation Center in Austria to collect information about Nazi perpetrators who had escaped justice. Wiesenthal used the leads he collected to pressure governments to renew efforts to bring the perpetrators of Nazi crimes to justice. In some instances, his leads led to the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators.

But as time passed, some of the war criminals died and the search gradually slowed down as there were very few suspects left.

Although 30 years have passed since the atrocities committed by Armenian terrorists, they are still remembered and the faces of the criminals are well recognized. The Republic of Azerbaijan continues its activities in the pursuit of those criminals. The criminals involved in the genocide against Azerbaijanis will have to answer for their crimes sooner or later.

Whether the state of Armenia stands behind them, or whether they take refuge in some country and hide there - it makes no difference to Azerbaijan. Even if the Armenian state defends them, it will eventually bring official Yerevan to responsibility.

After Khachaturian was detained at the Lachin border checkpoint, the fact that the Armenian MFA protested against it means that this country openly supports war crimes at the state level. This once again shows that the current Armenian government, which supposedly "wants" the signing of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan and the establishment of good neighbourly relations, is actually trying to justify the crimes committed by them by defending the people involved in the genocide against Azerbaijanis.

And finally, let us note once again that the state of Azerbaijan will continue its efforts to prosecute and punish those who committed atrocities against Azerbaijanis in the early 90s.

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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews’ deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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