A commemorative event dedicated to the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy was held at the Institute of Biophysics

A commemoration event dedicated to the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy was held at the Institute of Biophysics of the MSE AR.

The event began with a minute of silence in honor of the victims of the Khojaly genocide and all martyrs.

Speaking at the event, the General Director of the Institute of Biophysics, Corresponding Member of ANAS, Oktay Gasimov, emphasized that the Khojaly tragedy is inscribed as a bloody page in Azerbaijan’s history. He stated that this horrific event was not only a crime against the Azerbaijani people but also a grave crime against humanity as a whole. Oktay Gasimov stressed the importance of recognizing the Khojaly genocide at the international level and highlighted the significant efforts made by the Azerbaijani state and diaspora organizations in this direction. He also noted the invaluable role of the late prominent journalist Chingiz Mustafayev in exposing the tragedy to the world, emphasizing that his unique footage played a crucial role in informing the international community about the Khojaly genocide.

Later, a member of the Institute’s Council of Young Scientists and Specialists, junior researcher of the Integrative Biology Laboratory, Aysel Aliyeva, delivered a presentation on “Khojaly Genocide: A Dark Page in History and the New Face of Khojaly.” She stated that on the night of February 25-26, 1992, Armenian armed forces, with the participation of the 366th Motorized Rifle Regiment, attacked Khojaly, completely besieged the city, and committed an unprecedented act of genocide against the civilian population.

Aysel Aliyeva spoke about the tragic consequences of the Khojaly massacre, noting that 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderly individuals. She emphasized that 487 people were severely wounded, 1,275 were taken captive, and 150 went missing, describing this atrocity as a genocide against humanity. She also highlighted that countries such as Turkey, Pakistan, Mexico, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and others have officially recognized the Khojaly massacre as genocide.

In her presentation, Aysel Aliyeva also discussed the new face of Khojaly. She noted that after the 2020 Patriotic War, large-scale reconstruction work has been carried out in the liberated territories, including Khojaly. Within the framework of the Great Return Program, the families of the genocide victims have begun to return to their ancestral lands.

Subsequently, PhD in Medicine Azad Abdurahimov thanked Aysel Aliyeva for her insightful presentation and emphasized that Khojaly is not only a city of tragedy but also a symbol of revival and an optimistic outlook for the future. He stressed the importance of commemorating the Khojaly tragedy annually while also looking forward with hope.

At the end of the event, a video dedicated to the Khojaly tragedy was screened.