Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Parliaments of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have once again demonstrated a principled position on recognition of the Khojaly tragedy as genocide.

Elshad Isgandarov, Chairman of the OIC Youth Forum and Mahmud Erol Kilic, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Union of OIC signed a protocol on cooperation between the two bodies at the 10th session of the Conference in Istanbul.

The document envisages cooperation on "Justice for Khojaly" campaign, alongside with an extensive cooperation in a number of areas, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported

The "Justice for Khojaly" International Awareness Campaign was initiated in 2008 by Leyla Aliyeva, General Coordinator of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation.

The Campaign is aimed at raising international civil awareness by creative photos and images depicting people who have suffered during the Karabakh conflict, particularly the Khojaly massacre. They also try to reach out the world via media, Internet, and live events.

OIC member states’ parliaments once again showed their stance on recognition of Khojaly genocide with a resolution on "Cooperation between the International Forum and the Parliamentary Union of the OIC" adopted during a 10th session of the Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC.

The participation of the OIC member countries in the "Justice for Khojaly" campaign and cooperation between them in this area at an international level plays an important role in the recognition of Khojaly genocide in the world, the Ministry said.

In 1992, the town of Khojaly, the second largest town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, came under intense fire from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by the Armenian armed forces.

613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 of them remains unknown.

The legislative bodies of many countries have already adopted resolutions recognizing the crime committed by Armenians against the peaceful people in Khojaly as genocide.

The parliaments of Pakistan, Mexico, Colombia, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Jordan, as well as legislative bodies of about 20 states of the Unites States, including Texas, New-Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Western Virginia, New-Jersey and Tennessee are adopted relevant documents.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) adopted a final Cairo Communiqué in February 2013, during a summit held in Egypt's capital, calling the Khojaly tragedy as genocide against humanity. The Communiqué calls on the international community to recognize the tragedy as genocide.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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