Khojaly: A Tale Of Two Nations' Claims

The Khojaly massacre, which took place on 26 February 1992, was the mass killing of Azerbaijani civilians by Armenian forces in the town of Khojaly. The event was the largest single massacre during the entire Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which was a brutal war between Azerbaijan and Armenia that erupted in the 1990s amid the collapse of the Soviet Union. The death toll given by Azerbaijani authorities is 613 civilians, including 106 women and 63 children. However, this number is disputed, with Human Rights Watch reporting that at least 200 Azerbaijanis were killed, with a possible death toll of 500-1000. The massacre has been described by Azerbaijanis as a tragedy or a genocide, while Armenia disputes this account, claiming that Azeri soldiers were also involved in the violence and accusing Azerbaijan's authorities of failing to evacuate their civilian population.

The Khojaly Massacre

The Context

Khojaly was an Azerbaijani-populated town of around 6,300 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Azerbaijan SSR. The town housed the region's only airport in 1992. During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Khojaly was subjected to daily shelling and a total blockade by Armenian forces, leaving its inhabitants without electricity, gas, or water. The town was defended by about 160 lightly armed local men.

The Massacre

In early 1992, Armenian forces, along with troops of the 366th CIS regiment, launched an offensive, forcing almost the entire Azerbaijani population of the enclave to flee. This resulted in what has been described as "unconscionable acts of violence against civilians".

The death toll given by Azerbaijani authorities is 613 civilians, including 106 women and 63 children. Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 200 Azerbaijanis were killed, with a possible total of 500–1,000 deaths, including combatants and those who died of exposure.

The Aftermath

The massacre was a turning point in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. Most governments and media refer to the incident as a massacre, while Azerbaijani sources often refer to it as a tragedy or a genocide.

The conflict resulted in numerous casualties and the displacement of large groups of people on both sides. By 1992, the conflict had escalated into a full-scale war.

In the years following the Khojaly Massacre, there have been efforts to raise awareness, seek justice, and commemorate the victims. Memorials have been erected in Azerbaijan and abroad, and promotional activities under the "Justice for Khojaly" campaign have helped to increase international awareness. Parliaments and legislative bodies in several countries have recognised the mass killings as a genocidal crime or a massacre.

Armenian Forces' Involvement

The Khojaly massacre was the mass killing of Azerbaijani civilians by Armenian forces and the 366th CIS regiment in the town of Khojaly on 26 February 1992. The town was subject to daily shelling and a total blockade by Armenian forces during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. Without a supply of electricity, gas, or water, it was defended by local forces consisting of about 160 lightly armed men.

The Armenian forces, along with some troops of the 366th CIS regiment, launched an offensive in early 1992, forcing almost the entire Azerbaijani population of the enclave to flee, and committing "unconscionable acts of violence against civilians" as they fled. The death toll given by the Azerbaijani authorities is 613 civilians, including 106 women and 63 children. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 200 Azerbaijanis were killed during the massacre, though as many as 500-1,000 may have died. This number includes combatants and those who died of cold.

The Armenian forces informed the Azerbaijani side through all possible means about the operation, its objectives, and the humanitarian corridor left for the evacuation from Khojaly. For months, the Nagorno-Karabakh self-defence forces had been informing the Azerbaijani side about the upcoming assault and urged them to immediately evacuate the population from the town.

According to the Memorial civil rights society, from autumn 1991 Khojaly was practically blockaded by Armenian armed forces, and after the withdrawal of the Soviet Internal Troops from Karabakh, the blockade became total. Some inhabitants left the blockaded town, but the civilian population was not fully evacuated, despite insistent demands of the head of executive power of Khojaly, Elman Mammadov.

Armenian fighters stated to HRW investigators that they sent ultimatums to the Azerbaijani forces in Khojaly, warning that unless missile attacks from that town on Stepanakert ceased, Armenian forces would attack. The report quotes the testimony of an Azerbaijani woman who states that after Armenians seized Malybeyli, an ultimatum was made to Alif Gajiev, the head of the militia in Khojaly, who told the population on 15 February, but they didn't consider leaving the town.

Azerbaijani filmmaker Ramiz Fataliev testified in his interview that the Azerbaijani authorities did not evacuate the civilians from Khojaly because they thought that by doing so they would invite the Armenians to occupy the settlement. Fataliev said:

> On the 22nd of February, in the president's, prime-minister's, KGB minister's and others' presence, the meeting of the National Security Council was held… At the meeting, a resolution was made not to evacuate the people from Khojaly. It was considered that if we evacuated the population, we would invite Armenians to occupy the settlement. That is, we would ourselves incite Armenians to attack. Even the members of the Security Council didn't believe that Armenians could commit this sort of action that resulted in genocide. They thought that if the population left the settlement we ourselves would give Khojaly up.

Elmar Mammadov, the Mayor of Khojaly, testified that the Azerbaijani authorities knew about the attack but they took no measure to evacuate the civilians:

> On 25 February 1992 at 8:30 pm we were told that the tanks of the enemy have been placed around the city in a fighting position. We informed everybody about this over the radio. Furthermore, on 24 February I called Aghdam and told them that a captured Armenian fighter has informed us of the impending attack... There was no response. I have also asked to send a helicopter for the transportation of the elderly, women and children. But no help came.

According to Human Rights Watch, the tragedy struck when "a large column of residents, accompanied by a few dozen retreating fighters, fled the city as it fell to Armenian forces. It is reported that as they approached the border with Azerbaijan, they came across an Armenian military post and were cruelly fired upon".

Azerbaijani Refugees

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh has resulted in a large number of internally displaced people and refugees, with hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis being displaced. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, which lasted from 1988 to 1994, led to the displacement of approximately 700,000 Azerbaijanis, including around 500,000 people from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions, as well as 186,000 from Armenia. The conflict also resulted in the expulsion of ethnic Azerbaijanis from Armenia and the Armenian-controlled areas.

During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the town of Khojaly, which was populated by Azerbaijanis, was subjected to daily shelling and a total blockade by Armenian forces. The town was defended by local forces consisting of about 160 lightly armed men. The Armenian forces launched an offensive in early 1992, forcing almost the entire Azerbaijani population of the enclave to flee and committing acts of violence against civilians as they did so. This event became known as the Khojaly massacre and was one of the turning points of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. The death toll is disputed, with Azerbaijani authorities giving a figure of 613 civilians, including 106 women and 63 children, while Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 200 Azerbaijanis were killed, with the possibility of up to 500-1,000 deaths.

The conflict escalated again in September 2020, with heavy fighting along the Azerbaijan-Nagorno-Karabakh border. More than 7,000 soldiers and civilians were killed, and hundreds more were wounded on both sides. Despite initial resistance, both countries eventually agreed to hold talks and end the hostilities after several failed attempts at negotiation by Russia, France, and the United States. A ceasefire was reached on November 9, 2020, with Russia's mediation, ending the six-week Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. As a result, Azerbaijan reclaimed most of the territory it had lost two decades earlier, and a small strip of land known as the Lachin corridor was established to serve as a transit route connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.

However, tensions continued, and in December 2022, Azerbaijani activists occupied the Lachin corridor, claiming to protest environmental degradation caused by illegal mining in Nagorno-Karabakh. This blocked all traffic except for Red Cross and Russian convoys, leading to severe shortages and rationing for residents in the region. The situation escalated further in September 2023 when Azerbaijan launched an "anti-terrorist" offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in the displacement of thousands more people.

Azerbaijani Government's Response

The Azerbaijani government has responded to the Khojaly massacre by calling it a genocide and a tragedy. They have also initiated international campaigns to spread awareness about the massacre and to seek recognition of the event as a "genocide" and a "crime against humanity".

The Azerbaijani government has also taken steps to commemorate the victims of the Khojaly massacre. Memorials have been erected in Azerbaijan and abroad, and the government has supported exhibitions, conferences, and other commemorative events to raise awareness about the massacre.

The government has also worked to gain international recognition of the Khojaly massacre as a "genocide" and a "crime against humanity". This has included lobbying efforts in various countries and international organizations, resulting in resolutions and declarations recognizing the event as such.

In addition, the Azerbaijani government has accused Armenia of occupying Azerbaijani territories and conducting a policy of aggression and occupation. They have also criticized the Armenian government for not taking responsibility for the massacre and for distorting the facts surrounding the event.

The Azerbaijani government has also highlighted the impact of the occupation on the country, including the destruction of residential areas, cultural monuments, and infrastructure, as well as the displacement of a large number of people. They have also emphasized the need to bring the perpetrators of the Khojaly massacre to justice.

International Recognition

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. The event has been recognised and commemorated by acts adopted in fifteen countries and in 28 U.S. states.

International Organisations

The following international organisations recognise the Khojaly events as a massacre:

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation

Parliaments and Governments

In recent years, parliaments of several countries have formally recognised the event as a massacre. These include:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Canada
• Czech Republic
• Colombia
• Djibouti
• Mexico
• Paraguay
• Panama
• Slovenia
• Sudan
• Azerbaijan
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Pakistan
• Peru
• Turkey
• Estonia

US States

• Massachusetts
• Texas
• New Jersey
• Maine
• New Mexico
• Arkansas
• Georgia
• Oklahoma
• Tennessee
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Indiana
• Utah
• Nebraska
• Hawaii
• Montana
• Arizona
• Idaho
• Nevada
• Ohio
• Minnesota
• Illinois
• Alabama
• Virginia
• Kentucky

International Awareness Campaign

The "Justice for Khojaly" international awareness campaign is being carried out in many countries and cities and plays an important role in the recognition of the Khojaly tragedy as an act of genocide.

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