Azernews.Az

A demonstration was staged on the famous Heldenplatz square of Vienna, Austria, to mark the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide and commemorate the memory of the victims, Azernews reports.

Over 1,000 Azerbaijanis from 31 countries of the world, community members, representatives of diaspora organizations, and representatives of different nations with friendly attitudes towards Azerbaijan attended the rally.

The demo started with the national anthem of Azerbaijan and continued with a minute's silence to pay tribute to the dear memory of Azerbaijani martyrs who died for the territorial integrity of the Fatherland and the victims of the Khojaly genocide.

Azerbaijanis, as well as foreigners waved the flags of Azerbaijan and the countries they live in, holding posters with slogans calling for the recognition of the Khojaly genocide.

The participants gave information about the Khojaly genocide and drew attention to the fact that the Azerbaijani people had been waiting for justice to be served for 31 years.

The speeches were delivered mainly in English, Lithuanian, Serbian, German, Italian, French, Greek, Polish, Hebrew, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Norwegian, Finnish, Spanish, and Turkish languages. The demo participants demanded legal and political assessment of the crime and bringing the perpetrators of the crime to account.

A documentary on the Khojaly genocide, produced with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation was demonstrated, and pieces of classical music dedicated to the memory of the victims of the genocide were played.

The diaspora members put candles around the “Khojaly 613” inscription.

As part of the demo, booklets, and brochures prepared by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation were distributed to the city residents to raise awareness about the Khojaly genocide.

To recap, the statement of the rally was read in English and German languages.

We should note that the participants in the demo contributed to the aid campaign for the victims of the devastating natural disaster in Turkiye. The amount collected was transferred to the account of AFAD by the steering committee of the demonstration.

It is almost several years that Azerbaijani communities abroad and diaspora organizations hold mass peaceful campaigns on the occasion of the Khojaly genocide to raise awareness.

The 1st Pan-European Karabakh rally was held by the Azerbaijani diaspora in Brussels in 2019; the 2nd Pan-European Karabakh rally was held in Berlin outside the Brandenburg Gate in 2020, and the Pan-American Khojaly rally was held in front of the Capitol building in Washington DC in 2022.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz