Today is important for Azerbaijani-Americans. It commemorates the Khojaly Massacre. On Feb 26, 1992, the military units of Armenia seized the town of Khojaly, in the Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) region of Azerbaijan.The Armenian government's efforts to rid NK of its ethnically Azeri population resulted in the death, wounding and hostage-taking of almost 2,000 innocent civilians, mostly women, children and elderly.
The crime against peaceful residents of Khojaly was condemned worldwide and broadly covered by national newspapers and magazines, as well as Congressional Record in 2006-08, Human Rights Watch in 1992-94, and other leading organizations. Newsweek wrote: "Many were killed at close range while trying to flee; some had their faces mutilated, others were scalped."
Feb. 26 is a Memorial Day for Azeris, who will always remember the events of eight years ago. I join with my family, all Azeri-Americans and the U.S. Azeris Network in calling upon you to properly recognize and commemorate this tragedy (on the floor of the Congress, in the CR, and by attending a vigil), and to pressure the Armenian government to accept its responsibility for this massacre and withdraw its troops from the occupied regions of Azerbaijan.
