Aze.Media reports that our compatriots from 31 countries and 74 cities have come together in the Austrian capital to tell the world the true facts about the Khojaly massacre and demand restoration of justice.
Our compatriots and friends from Paris, Strasbourg, Lyon, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Hungary and various cities of other countries gathered in front of the Austrian parliament with posters and flags in their hands.
The rally participants have assembled to urge the international community not to turn a blind eye to the heinous massacre of Azerbaijanis in Khojaly and the Armenian policy of ethnic cleansing, and to take measures to give an assessment to the tragedy and punish the perpetrators.
Our compatriots coming to protest from 31 countries is no coincidence. This is a symbol of the 31 years that have passed since the Khojaly tragedy.
The demo started with the national anthem of Azerbaijan and continued with a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the dear memory of Azerbaijani martyrs who died for the territorial integrity of the Fatherland and the victims of the Khojaly genocide.
Azerbaijanis, as well as foreigners waved the flags of Azerbaijan and the countries they live in, holding posters with slogans calling for the recognition of the Khojaly genocide.
The participants gave information about the Khojaly genocide and drew attention to the fact that the Azerbaijani people had been waiting for justice to be served for 31 years.
The speeches were delivered mainly in English, Lithuanian, Serbian, German, Italian, French, Greek, Polish, Hebrew, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Norwegian, Finnish, Spanish, and Turkish languages. The demo participants demanded legal and political assessment of the crime and bringing the perpetrators of the crime to account.
A documentary on the Khojaly genocide, produced with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation was demonstrated, and pieces of classical music dedicated to the memory of the victims of the genocide were played.
At the end of the rally our compatriots will issue a joint statement. 613 candles will be lit in memory of the victims of Khojaly.
Foreign experts, socio-political and religious figures friendly to our country also took part in the peaceful rally on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, held in the Austrian capital of Vienna on February 26.
Friends of Azerbaijan strongly condemned the Armenian butchers and their patrons, who committed this war crime with ruthlessness and cruelty unprecedented in our time, and declared that they unequivocally support the demand of the Azerbaijani diaspora to bring the Armenian criminals to justice.
Shmuel Simantov, Chief Rabbi of the Synagogue of Mountain Jews in Tel Aviv, said that the Jewish people who had experienced such horror as the Holocaust would not remain silent about the Khojaly tragedy: “Sadly, those who committed the Khojaly massacre have yet to be brought to justice and receive the punishment they deserve. The Jewish people who lived through the horror of the Holocaust will not remain silent about the pain of any human being in the world, including Khojaly.”
Lithuanian military journalist Ričardas Lapaitis compared the Khojaly genocide with hell, and said that he had seen innocent civilians killed with particular cruelty: “February 26, 1992 fundamentally changed the lives and the outlook not only of the Khojaly survivors, but of all Azerbaijanis as well. I recall the first days after the tragedy as hell. I saw people, including women, the elderly and children, killed with extreme cruelty. The most horrible thing was to look into the eyes of those who survived in Khojaly.”
President of the Naples-Baku Association Giuseppe Caniglia accused the old Europe of indifference to crimes against humanity: “The Khojaly massacre is a crime against humanity. While focusing on the protection, upbringing and education of children, Europe has remained indifferent to the fate of the children brutally murdered in Khojaly and the children who witnessed the torture and murder of their parents.”
The world-renowned photographer of Azerbaijani descent Reza Deghati spoke about the photographs he had taken during the Khojaly tragedy and the events he had witnessed. He said that those painful and bitter days still haunted him. The photographer stressed that he is working to tell the world the truth about the photographs taken in Khojaly and other places.
British journalist Neil Watson called on the mankind not to forget the victims of the Khojaly genocide and stressed that the restoration of full control over Karabakh by Azerbaijan would be the best consolation for our people, who are living with this pain: “Mankind will never forget the victims of the Khojaly genocide and nothing will bring them back to life. But the best consolation for all will be Azerbaijan’s restoration of control over Karabakh, signing a lasting peace treaty in the South Caucasus, and the return of all displaced Azerbaijanis.”
Rachel Avraham, CEO of the Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy, pointed out that so far the UN had not imposed sanctions against Armenia: “Today, the Azerbaijani people honor the memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide. It is with regret that we recall that despite Armenia’s non-compliance with the four UN Security Council resolutions, it has not been subjected to any UN sanctions.”
Dutch writer and publisher Henri Van Rens said that he had witnessed the crimes committed by Armenian invaders in liberated Karabakh: “I have been to Karabakh several times and decided to write a book about the crimes committed there by the Armenian occupiers and the Soviet military. I am currently working on a book about Karabakh.”
Swedish photographer Mikael Silkeberg emphasized that our country has always acted within the norms of international law: “For almost 30 years Azerbaijan relied on diplomatic negotiations and international law to save its lands from the aggression of occupying Armenia within the norms of international law. But in the end, it had to enforce international law and UN Security Council resolutions on its own.”
