Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The Guatemalan legislative body has adopted a resolution condemning the Khojaly tragedy, committed by the Armenian armed forces in early 1990s.

Armenia’s acts of terrorism against Azerbaijan were among the issues discussed during meeting of the Guatemalan Congress on October 6.

The resolution on the Khojaly tragedy was adopted by a majority vote, local media reported.

The document noted that more than 20,000 Azerbaijani citizens were killed and a million people became refugees and IDPs in the wake of Armenia’s invasion of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory.

The legislative bodies of many countries earlier adopted resolutions recognizing the crime committed by Armenia against the peaceful people of Khojaly as genocide.

The parliaments of Pakistan, Mexico, Colombia, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Jordan, as well as legislative bodies of more than 15 states of the Unites States, including New-Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Western Virginia, New-Jersey, Tennessee, Arizona, Utah and Connecticut have adopted relevant documents.

The OIC adopted a final Cairo Communiqué in February 2013, in the summit held in Egypt's capital, naming the Khojaly tragedy a genocide against humanity. The Communiqué calls on the international community to recognize the genocide.

In 1992, the town of Khojaly, the second largest town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, came under intense fire 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 people remains unknown. Civilians were shot at close range, scalped, and burned alive.

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

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