The Khojaly massacre was the mass killing of at least 161 Azerbaijani civilians by Armenian forces and the 366th CIS regiment in the town of Khojaly on 25 February 1992.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan considers international recognition of the massacre as an important part of its foreign policy. The government of Azerbaijan refers to the event as a genocide, and aims to raising international awareness of the massacre, and its root causes within the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In 2007, Heydar Aliyev Foundation organised an exhibition of photographs and children's paintings titled "Victims of aggression" in Brussels on 26 February, and held commemorative ceremonies in Istanbul and 25 provinces of Turkey as a part of "Khojaly Week" in 19–26 February. On 14 February 2008, the same foundation organised a conference titled "Khojaly massacre and realities of 1915 events" in Berlin.
International organizations The following international organizations have referred to the Khojaly events as a massacre in official statements or reports, including:
Human Rights Watch Organization of Islamic CooperationOIC Secretary General commemorates Khojaly Massacre . 26 February 2012. Turkic Council
Parliaments and governments
In recent years, parliaments of several countries have formally recognized the event as a massacre.
Countries
As massacre – The House of Peoples passed a resolution condemning the Khojaly Massacre as a crime against humanity in 2014.Resolution on the Recognition of the Sovereignty and the Territorial Integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan . House of Peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 29 May 2014. – Foreign Affairs Committee of the Czech Parliament condemned the Khojaly Massacre as a crime against humanity in 2013.Jakub Hein, Pavla Holcová, Jan Adamec. The Czech Republic remains an investment haven for Azerbaijani officials . Visegrad Revue. 27 July 2015. – Foreign Relations Committee of the Colombian House of Representatives recognized the Khojaly Massacre in 2013. – The National Assembly of Djibouti recognized the Khojaly Massacre in 2017.Résolution N° 001/AN/17/7ème L portant commémoration du massacre des civils azerbaïdjanais dans la ville de Khojaly en 1992 et soutien contre agression de la République d'Arménie contre la République d'Azerbaïdjan . – Foreign Relations Committee of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies recognised the Khojaly Massacre in 2011.Gaceta Parlamentaria, Número 3502 . 2 May 2012. – The Parliament of Paraguay commemorated 26th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre in 2017. – The National Assembly of Panama adopted a resolution condemning the Khojaly massacre in 2013. – The National Council of Slovenia passed a resolution condemning the Khojaly Massacre as a crime against humanity in 2016. – Foreign Affairs Committee of the Sudanese National Assembly recognized the Khojaly Massacre in 2014. – The Estonia-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group gave a statement on the Khojaly massacre in 2021.
As genocide
– National Assembly of Azerbaijan recognized the Khojaly massacre as genocide. – The Congress of Guatemala recognized the Khojaly Massacre referring to it as genocide in 2015. – The National Congress of Honduras recognized the Khojaly Massacre as an act of genocide in 2014.Decreto No. 286-2013 – Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate of Pakistan recognized the Khojaly Massacre referring to it as genocide in 2012.Report of the Senate Committee on Defence and Defence Production (p. 64) – The Congress of the Republic of Peru adopted a resolution recognizing the Khojaly massacre as genocide in 2013. – Foreign Relations Committee of the Turkish National Assembly recognised the Khojaly Massacre referring to it as genocide in 2012.Türkıye Büyük Mıllet Meclısı: Dişışlerı Komısyonu Tutanak Dergısı . 15 February 2012.
Criticism The recognition of the Khojaly massacre has been widely criticized in academic sources.Geybullayeva, A. (2016). Azerbaijan’s suspended democracy: Time for an international reassessment. Central Asia Program.Avagimyan, A. (2017). The role of oil in the formation of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy (Doctoral dissertation). American University of Armenia. Oil revenues enable Azerbaijan to utilize "caviar diplomacy", a lobbying strategy of Azerbaijan, consisting of costly invitations and bribes to foreign politicians and employees of international organizations, in order to seek recognition for the Khojaly massacre, including the false characterization of the massacre as a "genocide".
References