30th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre

Written declaration No. 737 | Doc. 15460 | 23 February 2022

Signatories:

Mr Samad SEYIDOV, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Ms Nigar ARPADARAI, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Kamil AYDIN, Turkey, NR ; Ms Alma ČOLO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD ; Ms Sevinj FATALIYEVA, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Erkin GADIRLI, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Tural GANJALIYEV, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Sabir HAJIYEV, Azerbaijan, SOC ; Mr Hamid HAMID, Bulgaria, ALDE ; Mr Rafael HUSEYNOV, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Mr Kamal JAFAROV, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Ms Parvin KARIMZADA, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Jérôme LAMBERT, France, SOC ; Mr Saša MAGAZINOVIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, SOC ; Mr Oleksandr MEREZHKO, Ukraine, NR ; Mr Asim MOLLAZADA, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Fazil MUSTAFA, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Ms Konul NURULLAYEVA, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Halil ÖZŞAVLI, Turkey, NR ; Ms Maria RIZZOTTI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Zeki Hakan SIDALI, Turkey, ALDE ; Ms Martine WONNER, France, ALDE ; Ms Serap YAŞAR, Turkey, NR ; Mr Ahmet YILDIZ, Turkey, NR ; Ms Zeynep YILDIZ, Turkey, NR

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

26 February 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre, which represents the darkest page of the past conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

During the night of 25 to 26 February 1992, the armed forces of Armenia, supported by the 366th Infantry Regiment of the former USSR, captured the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly and committed an act of genocide against the inhabitants of this town. As a result, 613 innocent people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 elderly were brutally murdered, 1 275 civilians taken hostage (the fate of 150 of them remains still unknown), 487 injured, 8 families completely destroyed, and 130 children lost one parent and 25 children both parents.

Three decades later, none of those directly involved in the Khojaly massacre and other related war crimes have been prosecuted in Armenia. Now, when the conflict between these two countries has finally ended following the liberation of the Azerbaijani territories in 2020, it is more important than ever to end this impunity and render justice for Khojaly. This is an essential requirement for ensuring a lasting peaceful coexistence in the region, preventing the recurrence of such grave crimes and cultivating future generations in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding.