Azernews.Az

Representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan visited the Alley of Martyrs on January 19 on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Black January, a tragedy for Azerbaijanis that took place in 1990.

According to Azernews, the diplomats deeply respected the memory of the martyrs who lost their lives in the struggle for the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and laid flowers on their graves.

Recall that Black January (Azerbaijani: Qara Yanvar), also known as Black Saturday or the January Massacre, was a violent crackdown on Azerbaijani nationalism and anti-Soviet sentiment in Baku on 19–20 January 1990, as part of a state of emergency during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

According to several sources, between 133 and 137 civilians died with the unofficial number reaching 300. Up to 800 were injured and 5 went missing. An additional 26 people were killed in the Neftchala and Lankaran regions of the country.