On Jan. 20, Azerbaijani-Americans - and all Azerbaijanis around the world - commemorate the 20th anniversary of "Black January" events that marked the beginning of the end of Soviet rule in Azerbaijan.
On the night of Jan. 19-20, 1990, sovereign Azerbaijan was invaded by 26,000 Soviet troops pursuant to a "state of emergency." A courageous resistance by Azerbaijanis to the Soviet invasion continued into February. Eventually, 170 Azerbaijanis were killed, 321 disappeared (their bodies never recovered), more than 700 wounded, and still hundreds more were rounded up and detained.
The terrible event remembered by this commemoration was an atrocity - but it also gave birth to a hope that led eventually to independence and freedom the following year.
Eighteen years later, there is no sign of "Black January" declining in significance. Millions of Azerbaijanis and friends of Azerbaijan visit Martyrs' Alley in the Azeri capital, Baku, on Jan. 20 to pay tribute to the memory of their compatriots who laid their lives for the country's independence. They lay flowers on the graves of the victims, and the nation's commitment to independence, democracy and freedom is renewed.
My family and I are joining the U.S. Azeris Network (USAN) in commemorating the tragedy and its victims, and ask for your support by also commemorating the victims with a minute of silence and statement for the record.
