Khojalu Fact Sheet

[Aratta-Kingdom]

EVENTS IN KHOJALY (NKR) AND NEAR AGDAM ON FEBRUARY 25-27, 1992

 

Khojaly Fact Sheet

http://www.nkrusa.org/nk_conflict/khojaly.shtml

March 10, 2010

 

Khojaly is also often spelled as Xocali, Khojaly, Khodzhaly, Khojalu,

Khocalu, Khocali, Khocaly

 

Azerbaijan turned Khojaly into a launch pad for indiscriminate

bombardment of Karabakh In 1991 and early 1992, Azerbaijan used an

Azeri inhabited village of Khojaly in Nagorno Karabakh as a launching

pad for indiscriminate artillery and rocket fire on Stepanakert,

the capital of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR), located only

a short 15-minute drive from Khojaly. By the end of February 1992,

intensive fire from Khojaly and other Azeri military strongholds in

Karabakh had killed 243 people, including 14 children and 37 women,

and wounded 491, including 53 children and 70 women. In addition,

systematic and intense artillery and rocket fire against civilian

targets in Stepanakert paralyzed the city, destroying hospitals,

administrative buildings, schools, and homes. By controlling Khojaly,

Azerbaijan also prohibited access to Karabakh's airport, the only

link with the outside world, which was used to bring food and medical

aid. Furthermore, Khojaly was also used as a staging area for military

offensives on Stepanakert and nearby Armenian-populated villages. Thus,

Khojaly became a legitimate military target for Self-Defense Forces

of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

 

Legitimate target for NKR Self-Defense Units In early January 1992,

Nagorno Karabakh authorities decided to neutralize this military

target and informed the Azeris. The NKR authorities also transmitted

this information by radio, TV, loudspeakers, leaflets and other

methods to warn the Khojaly civilian population of the upcoming

operation, giving the civilian population an opportunity to exit

the area through a safe corridor. Azerbaijan's leadership in Baku,

as well as local authorities, and military commanders in Khojaly

knew about the corridor, its width and direction. Both Azerbaijani

President Ayaz Mutalibov and Khojaly Mayor Elman Mamedov in their

1992 interviews confirmed this fact. During two weeks leading to the

Khojaly operation, NKR Self-Defense Forces observed a mass exodus of

the civilian population from Khojaly through the provided corridor

(see on the map).

 

The operation to neutralize Khojaly base of the Azeri armed forces

began at 11:00 PM on February 25 and was successfully completed within

five hours. Nagorno Karabakh forces took full control of the area,

killing dozens of military personnel during the operation.

 

Unfortunately, 11 civilians became unintended victims. About 700

civilians and military surrendered to NKR Self-Defense Forces. The

captured civilians were returned to Azerbaijan in the following days,

while the military personnel was later exchange for the Armenian

military prisoners and civilian hostages held by Azerbaijan.

 

Events on the territory controlled by Azerbaijan, 7 miles from Khojaly,

after the Khojaly operation was over

 

Map of the Events in Khojaly (NKR) and near Agdam (Azerbaijan) on

February 25-27, 1992 [ view large map ]

 

When the military operation began in Khojaly, a large group of

civilians and armed military personnel from Khojaly used the provided

humanitarian corridor to exit the battlefield and began moving in the

direction of the Azeri- controlled Agdam. Near Nakhichevanik village

of Karabakh (outside of the provided corridor), the group provoked

a gun battle with the defenders of Nakhichevanik, which resulted in

numerous death on both sides. On February 28 and early March 1992,

in the area then fully controlled by Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani and

Turkish journalists videotaped images of the hundreds of killed and,

during the second video shooting session, also mutilated bodies.

 

Since then, official Baku has falsified the events and used the

human tragedy to persistently fan anti-Armenian hysteria to demonize

the Armenian people in the eyes of the Azeris and the international

community. It used the images to incite anti-Armenian sentiment and

intolerance, which resulted in murders and calls from Azeris to wipe

out Armenians as an ethnic group.

 

Conclusion

 

Responsibility for the tragic loss of civilian life on February 26-27,

1992 on the outskirts of Agdam, territory fully controlled by Azeri

forces, lies with the political and military leadership of Azerbaijan.

 

First, the Azeri leadership used the territory of Khojaly for

indiscriminate artillery attacks on civilian targets, thus turning

the town into a legitimate military target for NKR Self-Defense Forces.

 

Second, the Azeri leadership intentionally prevented the civilian

population from leaving the militarized village.

 

Third, the Azeri leadership failed to safely relocate civilians

from Khojaly after public warnings of upcoming military operation,

although it had many opportunities to do so.

 

Fourth, retreating Azeri forces provoked an exchange of fire with NKR

Self-Defense Forces some five miles from Khojaly, which resulted in

losses on both sides.

 

Fifth, those who had continued, full access to the site of reported

close-range, mass killing are responsible for it. The reported killing

of hundreds of civilians with incidences of barbaric mutilation of

bodies took place near Agdam (some seven miles from Khojaly), on

the territory controlled by Azeri forces. Free access to the site by

Azeri and Turkish journalists is clear evidence to that end.

 

In addition, Azerbaijan continues to create ground for a prolonged

human tragedy by inciting anti-Armenian sentiments and intolerance in

Azeri society. Such a policy stalls efforts to build bridges between

Armenian and Azeri people and achieve eventual, long-lasting peace

between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh.

 

* * *

 

Background data, journalistic investigation and academic research

materials to support the above information are available at the NKR

Office and can be provided on-demand.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

In the course of discussing the issue "On Violation of Human Rights and

Main Freedoms throughout the World" at the fifty-seventh session of

the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Armenian delegation submitted

to the Chairman of the UN Commission on Human Rights information on

the real events of February 1992, which was spread as an official

document of the fifty-seventh session of the aforementioned Commission.

 

The text of the document is given below.

 

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE EVENTS IN KHOJALY Evidence from Azerbaijani

sources For nine years after the events in Khojaly official Baku

has been obstinately fanning anti-Armenian hysteria with the aim of

falsifying real events and discrediting the Armenian people in the

eyes of the international community.

 

The events in Khojaly, which led to the death of civilians, were

the results solely of political intrigues and a struggle for power

in Azerbaijan.

 

The real reasons are most convincingly reflected in the accounts

of Azerbaijanis themselves - as participants in and eyewitnesses of

what happened - as well as of those who know the whole inside story

of the events in Baku.

 

According to Azerbaijani journalist M. Safarogly, "Khojaly occupied

an important strategic position. The loss of Khojaly was a political

fiasco for Mutalibov". 1

 

Khojaly, along with Shushi and Agdam, was one of the main strongholds

from which Stepanakert, the capital of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,

was shelled continuously and mercilessly for three winter months

using artillery and missiles and launchers for targeting cities.

 

Knocking out the weapon emplacements in Khojaly and freeing the

airport were the only way for the inhabitants of the Nagorno Karabakh

Republic to ensure the physical survival of a population condemned by

Azerbaijan to complete annihilation. The daily shelling of Stepanakert

from nearby Khojaly took the lives of peaceful inhabitants - women,

children and old people.

 

Former President of Azerbaijan, Ayaz Mutalibov, has emphasized that

"...

 

the assault on Khojaly was not a surprise attack"2. In a "Nezavisimaya

gazeta" newspaper interview he stated that "a corridor was kept open

by the Armenians for people to leave"3. However, a column of civilians

was fired on by armed units of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan on the

approaches to the Agdam district border, a fact later confirmed by Ayaz

Mutalibov, who linked this criminal act to attempts by the opposition

to remove him from power, and blamed it entirely for what happened.

 

In his recent interview with the "Novoye vremya" magazine, Mutalibov

confirms his statement of nine year ago: "The shooting of the Khojaly

residents was obviously organized by someone to take control in

Azerbaijan"4.

 

Similar comments and views concerning the events in Khojaly are known

to have been made by several other highly-placed Azerbaijani officials

and journalists.

 

There is, moreover, the conclusion of Azerbaijani journalist Arif

Yunusov, which differs somewhat from the previous statements: "The

town and its inhabitants were deliberately sacrificed for a political

purpose - to prevent the Popular Front of Azerbaijan from coming to

power"5. In this case, though, the Azerbaijanis themselves are named

as the perpetrators of the tragedy.

 

What resulted from the betrayal of the inhabitants of Khojaly by their

own highly placed compatriots is well known. Azerbaijani propaganda

has railed to the whole world about the "atrocities of the Armenians",

supplying television stations with horrendous pictures of a field

strewn with mutilated bodies. Khojaly is claimed to have been the

"Armenians' revenge for Sumgait".

 

Tamerlan Karayev, at one time Chairman of the Supreme Council of the

Azerbaijan Republic, bears witness: "The tragedy was committed by

the authorities of Azerbaijan", and specifically by "someone highly

placed"6.

 

The Czech journalist Jana Mazalova, who by an oversight of

the Azerbaijanis was included in both of the groups of press

representatives to be shown the "bodies mutilated by the Armenians",

noted a substantial difference in the two cases. When she went to

the scene immediately after the events, Mazalova did not see any

traces of barbarous treatment of the bodies. Yet a couple of days

later the journalists were shown disfigured bodies already "prepared"

for pictures.

 

Who killed the peaceful inhabitants of Khojaly and then mutilated their

bodies, if the tragedy occurred not in a village taken by Armenians

or on the route of the humanitarian corridor, but on the approaches

to the town of Agdam - on territory fully controlled by the Popular

Front of Azerbaijan?

 

The independent Azerbaijani cameraman Chingiz Mustafayev, who took

pictures on 28 February and 2 March 1992, had doubts about the official

Azerbaijani version and began his own inquiry. The journalist's very

first report to the Moscow news agency "D-press" on the possible

complicity of the Azerbaijani side in the crimes cost Mustafayev his

life: he was killed nor far from Agdam, under circumstances that are

still unexplained.

 

The current President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, himself recognized

that Azetbaijan's "former leadership was also guilty" of events in

Khojaly. Already in April 1992, according to the agency Bilik-Dunyasy,

he had commented as follows: "The bloodshed will be to our advantage.

 

We should not interfere in the course of events". To whose "advantage"

was the bloodshed is clear to everyone. "Megapolis-Express" wrote:

"It cannot be denied that if the Popular Front of Azerbaijan actually

set far-reaching objectives, they have been achieved. Mutalibov has

been compromised and overthrown, public opinion worldwide has been

shaken, and the Azerbaijanis and their Turkish brethren have believed

in the so-called "genocide of the Azerbaijani people in Khojaly"7.

 

One other tragic detail. It has become clear since the events that 47

Armenian hostages were already being held on 26 February in "peaceful"

Khojaly, a fact that the Azerbaijani mass media "covering" the tragedy

have failed to mention. After the liberation of Khojaly only 13

hostages (including 6 woman and 1 child) were found there, the other

34 having been taken away by the Azerbaijanis to an unknown location.

 

The only thing known about them is that they were led from the village

on the night of the operation, but never reached Agdam. There is

still no information concerning what eventually happened to them or

confirming that they continued to be held captive by the Azerbaijanis.

 

Obviously, those who wanted to create the impression that bodies had

been mutilated by the Armenians first of all disfigured the bodies

of those same Armenian hostages, in order to make it impossible to

identify them. Precisely for that purpose the outer clothing was

removed from many of the bodies and precisely for that reason the

bodies of the unfortunate victims were damaged so badly that they

became unrecognizable.

 

In the light of the above facts it may confidently be said that the

killing of peaceful inhabitants of the village of Khojaly and of the

Armenian hostages being held there was the work of the Azerbaijani

side, which committed this crime against its own people in the name

of political intrigues and the struggle for power.

 

_________________________________________________

 

1. "Nezavisimaya gazeta" newspaper, February 1993 2. "Ogonek" magazine,

Nos. 14-15, 1992 3. "Nezavisimaya gazeta" newspaper, 2 April 1992

4. "Novoye vremya" magazine, 6 March 2001 5. "Zerkalo" newspaper, July

1992 6. "Mukhalifat" newspaper, 28 April 1992 7. "Megapolis-Express",

No. 17, 1992

[Aratta-Kingdom]

The Chronicle of Unseen Forgery and Falsification:

 

www.xocali.net

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

 

CZECH JOURNALIST REBUFFS AZERI MISINFORMATION

 

PanARMENIAN.Net

10.03.2010

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijanis organized "exhibition" at the

Lidice-Memorial, which was called the worst mockery of the Lidice

victims by the Check journalist Dana Mazalova. The "exhibition" at

the Lidice-Memorial was aimed to spread misinformation about events

in Khojalu. Azerbaijanis tried to present the Czech village of Lidice

, destroyed by the Nazis, and the Azerbaijani town of Khodjalu as

twin towns.

 

The exhibition displayed "photographs" allegedly shot by civilian

and military journalist Chingiz Mustafayev, the author of the famous

cover of the Khojalu tragedy. None of the photographs has been made

by Mustafaev, Dana Mazalova , well-known Czech journalist told a news

conference in Yerevan jointly held with Ara Saghatelyan, Director of

the Public Relations and Information Office of Armenian President.

 

Dana Mazalova is an eyewitness of those events, she was covering the

hostilities in Karabakh.

 

"Unfortunately, the Czech authorities did not check what the

Azerbaijanis had said or shown. We together with my Czech colleagues

have decided to respond to the black PR of Azerbaijan. The only person

who can do it - it's me, because I have seen all the raw materials,

which Chingiz Mustafayev made," Dana Mazalova said.

 

According to her, on the photographs, presented by the Azeri, naked

bodies of men are shown, but the photos by Mustafaev featured only

people in cloths.

 

After Mustafaev discovered the bodies of people, he carried some of

them and when he returned for the rest, the corpses had been already

mutilated and scalped, she said. The photos by Mustafaev featured

only people in cloths, she stressed.

 

According to the Check journalist, a video, shot by Mustafayev shows

that dead people are lying near Aghdam and one can see the single

moving person in the Azerbaijani uniform, not even reacting to the

helicopter above.

 

She said, that the "exhibition" is the worst mockery of the Lidice

victims.

 

The corridor between Armenia and Azerbaijan was open, there is

factual evidence, Ara Saghatelyan stressed. The interview of the

former Azerbaijani President Ayaz Mutalibov to Dana Mazalova in 1992

is another evidence to that.

 

Ayaz Mutalibov particularly said: "According to survived Khojalu

dwellers, everything was organized for my resignation". He said,

he does not believe that Armenians ever might be involved in such

fascist actions. "One can assume that some people were interested in

focusing everything on my person. If I say that it is the fault of

the Azerbaijani opposition.... The corridor to leave was left by the

Armenians. Why should they shoot then? Especially in the territory

close to the Aghdam, which had enough forces to go out and help people

or simply agree over civilians leaving? This was the practice all

the time ".

 

Saghatelyan also reported that in late March a film about the Sumgait

events will be screened, which will show the unique shots filmed by

Russia's specialists.

[Arpa]

"Khojaly Fact Sheet". Don't you mean "khojali fu*ked shit"?

Why are we still talking about "kakajali"? Why are we giving them the chance to argue? Please show us where "khojali" is/was. There is no "khojali" anymore, there never was, that is the end of the story. And when they decide to come back, it will be over their decapitated "dead bodies".

http://www.nkrusa.org/assets/maps/armenia_administrative_map_large.jpg

Is that the birthplace of phantom, aka americahye. aka HAGARAG , aka KHOJA? who still insists that the Mamikoneans were "chinkese".

Edited March 11, 2010 by Arpa

[Aratta-Kingdom]

Why are we still talking about "kakajali"? Please show us where "khojali" is/was.

 

We are recording the fact. Please don't forget this forum isn't just for/about some memebers. There are larg number or students who visit HyeForum for their research.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

 

TURKEY HAD A HAND IN TRAGEDY IN KHOJALY

 

 

 

ArmInfo

2010-03-09

 

 

...It is especially important that moving towards the origination

and the core of the conflict the Armenian party considers also the

problem of Khojaly. The Turkey-orientated People's Front of Azerbaijan

(PFA) organized a massacre of the Azerbaijani population near Aghdam

since its hideout was in Aghdam. It was not accidental that all the

large-scale provocations with regard to Armenians came from Aghdam

where pro-Turkish forces were concentrated. This concerns not only

the events related to Khojaly, but also the very beginning of the

conflict when on February 20, 1988, the Regional Council of the

NK Autonomous Region applied for withdrawal of the NKAR from the

Azerbaijani SSR. The movement of the aggressive crowd from Aghdam to

Stepanakert immediately followed that peaceful appeal by Karabakh.

 

Journalist Chingiz Mustafayev, who declared that the massacre of

peaceful residents of Khojaly was organized by the residents of

Aghdam, was murdered in Aghdam. It was in Aghdam that the plane with

the ministers loyal to Ayaz Mutalibov on board was shot down. All

this proves that Khojaly was just a link in the chain of bloody

incidents and provocations by the PFA aimed at overthrowing Ayaz

Mutalibov whose nationality was doubtful for them. All those crimes

were committed to bring Abulfaz Elchibey to power, and Mutalibov

himself also declared that.

 

Does it mean that Turkey had a hand in Khojaly tragedy?

 

Naturally, it does. It could not be otherwise, as Turkey was the

ideologist and constructor of that criminal policy of the People's

Front of Azerbaijan.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

CZECH JOURNALIST REVEALS AZERBAIJAN'S LIE

 

ArmInfo

2010-03-10

 

ArmInfo. The alleged photos of the "Khojaly tragedy" demonstrated

by Azerbaijan do not correspond to the actual photos taken by the

Azerbaijani photographer Chingiz Mustafayev. A well- known Czech

journalist Yana Mazalova told media in Yerevan on Wednesday. The

journalist covered the military action during Azerbaijan's aggression

against Nagorny Karabakh.

 

"Chingiz was my friend and he showed me the photos he took while

flying over Khojaly by the Azerbaijani helicopter. He was on the spot

of those tragic events twice - on Feb 28 and March 2 and recorded

that tragedy. He told me that people were shot in legs at first in

order they could not run away and only then they were killed. All

those bodies were exposed not far from Aghdam, in the territory under

control of Azerbaijan in that period of time. In addition, when taking

records, Mustafayev noticed a man in military uniform who walked in

the center of the slaughter and did not even try to escape when he

saw the Azerbaijani helicopter. Later on March 2 Mustafayev returned

to the spot and saw that the killed people were scalped," she said.

 

Therefore, Mazalova called the records of "khojaly tragedy" by the

Azerbaijani propaganda as falsifications since there were no naked

bodies, alive people in the photos by Mustafayev and Mustafayev had

no photos against the background of that tragedy.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

AYAZ MUTALIBOV'S INTERVIEW

http://www.xocali.net/EN/ayaz-mutalibov.html

March 17, 2010

 

KHOJALY: The chronicle of unseen forgery and falsification

 

The first president of Azerbaijan recently gave an extremely

interesting interview to one of the Russian TV channels in which it is

narrated that the first president of Azerbaijan, who proclaimed the

independence of the country, at present is living in the outskirts

of Moscow in a state apartment, without a passport and livelihood.

 

An ordinary refugee with triumphal past and rather obscure future.

 

This is how the Azerbaijani treat their leaders when the power passes

to other hands.

 

According to the reportage: "The ruling class of the Alievs did

everything so that the citizens should consider Heydar Aliev to be

the founder of their country and

 

should forget that they had ever had a first president. It is already

15 years that Ayaz Mutalibov has been wanted by the police in his

country. Heydar Aliev accused him of plotting coup d'etat.

 

Mutalibov denies the accusation but does not return to his homeland no

to be taken to prison. He is considered as an enemy in his motherland

and Ayaz Mutalibov is not admitted even by the Azerbaijani community

in Moscow".

 

"He ran to Moscow two months after his resignation and two days

after the feeble attempt to return to the President's palace. When

the armed supporters of the opposition went out to the streets to

demand the president's resignation, Mutalibov went to the Russian

military airport and, leaving his family in Baku, escaped from the

country. Now he avoids speaking about this fact, but it is certain

that Mutalibov preferred to save himself and only after several days

his friends took his family in cars first to Daghestan and then to

Moscow. He has been an exile since then: a guest to Russia, an enemy

to Azerbaijan, an enemy to Armenia".

 

"The whole negative after the Khojaly tragedy was focused on me. I had

to take the whole responsibility upon myself though I was not guilty

of anything", - claimed Ayaz Mutalibov in the interview. Let us remind

you that on the 2nd of April in 1992, in "Nezavisimaya gazeta" Ayaz

Mutalibov gave an interview to an independent Czech journalist, Dana

Mazalova, who afterwards became persecuted in her own country. The

cause of all these trials was the excessive frankness of the first

president which cost him his impeachment. During the interview it

became quite clear that the Azerbaijani version of the Khojaly events

is none other than a well-planned provocation of the Azerbaijani.

 

The clan of the Alievs did not forgive Mutalibov for such frankness.

 

>>From the interview of the former president of Azerbaijan Ayaz

Mutalibov to the Czech journalist Dana Mazalova, "Njvaya Gazeta",

2.04.92

 

Question:What is your opinion about the KHOJALY events after which

you resigned? Dead bodies of the Khojaly inhabitants were found not

far from Aghdam. Someone first shot at legs so that people could

not go farther. Then he added the axe, on the 29th of February my

colleagues took photos of all this. Then during new sequences these

very corpses were scalped. A very strange game...

 

Answer: As the Khojali inhabitants, who narrowly escaped, say, it was

all organized in order to have ground for my resignation. Some forces

functioned for the effort to discredit the president. I don't think

that Armenians, who always have a distinct and competent attitude

towards such situations, could have let the Azerbaijani get the

documents unmasking them in fascist actions. It could be supposed

that somebody is interested to show these sequences afterwards,

at the BC session and to focus everything on my person.

 

If I claim the Azerbaijani opposition to be guilty in it, they might

say that I am telling lies about them. However, the general background

of arguments is, that a corridor by which the people could leave, was,

nevertheless, left by Armenians. Why then would they begin to shoot?

 

Especially in the territory nearby Aghdam, where by that time there

had been enough forces to help the people. Or, just come to an

agreement that the civil population will leave. Such practice has

always been usual.

 

I have always been told that people in Khojaly hold themselves up and

it is necessary to support them with armaments, people and food. I

gave a commission to use helicopters for this purpose. However, the

pilots refused to fly there as they do not have special devices to

avoid stingers. Nearly a week passed. An Aghdam alignment was sttked

nearby to watch the developments there. As soon as the military forces

encircled Khojaly, it was necessary to evacuate the population.

 

Earlier such a commission was given by me concerning Shushi: to

leave men there and to take women and children off. These are also

laws of the war: you must save their lives. My behavior was unbiased

and fefinite: I gave such commissions but I have no idea why they

were not fulfilled. By the way, I spoke to Mkrtchyan, the head of

Military Forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, several times: "You laid several

people on the ground. Give us an opportunity to take their bodies off

here". But he replied that there must be no bodies, that our people

are with them and that they are fed there, though they are short of

provisions, and they are ready to exchange them with their hostages.

 

Question: When were you informed about those lost lives?

 

Answer: The next day after I was informed that there are just a few

killed people in Khojaly. The information came from the minister of

Home Affairs.

 

Question: Who was responsible for that information?

 

Answer: The minister himself. By that time a press-centre had been

established in the Ministry of Defense. After the story about the

helicopters we had an agreement that nobody would spread doubtful

information.

 

Question: Do you consider the Prime Minister Hasan Hasanov responsible,

too?

 

Answer: The head of the government, of course, is responsible for

everything, though he refuses to have anything to do with such

questions. Well, the government is government.

[Arpa]

Has anyone seen this on CNN?

Please note that the major sponsor of comedy show is the furkish airlines.

Btw. Is that nest of rats still standing? What is its Armenian name?

----

Action Alert;

--

CNN International to Broadcast Report from Azerbaijan on Khojaly

Help Stop the Spread of Anti-Armenian Propaganda - Take ACTION

According to the Azerbaijan News Service, the CNN International program World View is scheduled to broadcast a report from Azerbaijan about Chingiz Mustafayev, an Azeri reporter who covered the 1991-1994 Nagorno-Karabakh war. This report will extensively discuss the Azerbaijan government's version of the events at Khojaly and is scheduled to air 5 times in 4 days, beginning on August 28, 2010.

The Azerbaijan government is using the CNN venue to launch anti-Armenian propaganda world wide.

The Armenian Assembly of America is calling on everyone to help stop the spread of this propaganda by sending a free email to CNN executives.

---

And here is what they say;

Armenians Protest CNN Broadcast On Khojaly Massacre

Friday, 27 August 2010 09:32

US Armenians protest demonstration of Chingiz Mustafayev's materials about Khojaly genocide on CNN.

American CNN will broadcast the film about legendary Azerbaijani cameraman Chingiz Mustafayev within four days and will demonstrate the video materials on Armenian barbarism he recorded near Khojaly.

Iragir.am reports that in this connection the Armenian assembly of America initiated the e-campaign within the framework of which letters of protest will be sent to CNN with the demand not to allow the broadcast of anti-Armenian programs.

The film about Chingiz and his life will be demonstrated in the program "Outlook" of the CNN channel. The terrifying materials of Armenian vandalism after the occupation of Azerbaijani city of Khojaly and genocide of its civilians will be demonstrated. The program will be broadcast five times a day within four days beginning from August 28.

[Boghos]

Has anyone seen this on CNN?

Please note that the major sponsor of comedy show is the furkish airlines.

Btw. Is that nest of rats still standing? What is its Armenian name?

----

Action Alert;

--

 

---

And here is what they say;

 

This is a disgrace. Turks are getting ever more sophisticated, witness what they are doing in the ME. Khrimian Hairig's comments still stand.

[Yervant1]

IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA: "I HAVE NO INFORMATION ABOUT KHOJALY GENOCIDE"

 

http://times.am/?l=en&p=4598

09.02.12, 12:30

 

On February 8 Mahmud Reza Sajadi, the extraordinary and plenipotentiary

ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran to Russian Federation said

that he has no information about "Khjojaly genocide".

 

Iranian diplomat was speaking with Ria Novosti news agency and

answering the question, "Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Mexico

recognized Khojaly Genocide, if Iran is going to recognize this

genocide" said that he has not heard about "Khojaly genocide". "I have

no information about this. I am not acquainted with information on

"Khojaly genocide". Therefore, I cannot answer to your question".

 

As APA informs Azerbaijani journalists left press conference after

Iranian ambassador's comment.

 

Azerbaijan uses so called "Khojaly Genocide" as a propaganda measure

against Armenia. Iranian Ambassador is right: he can not have

information about an event, which has not taken place and is just a

disinformation and a card which is used by Azerbaijanis.

[Yervant1]

FATULLAEV'S KARABAKH DIARY (FRAGMENT)

 

http://www.xocali.net/EN/realazer.html

 

KHOJALY: The chronicle of unseen forgery and falsification

 

"THEY MANAGED TO EVACUATE THE CATTLE, BUT NOT THE PEOPLE"

 

Seeing Khojaly I couldn't conceal my consternation. Having been

destroyed to the ground, this Azerbaijani settlement is completely

restored, and transformed into a town Ivanovka in honor of Armenian

general having taken an active part in the occupation of Khojaly.

 

The Khojaly tragedy, the deep wounds in our souls inflicted by

Armenian expansionism on this long-suffering Azerbaijani land,

run all through my meetings in Askeran.

 

How is that? Isn't there anything humane left in these people?

 

However, for the sake of justice I admit that several years ago I

met some Khojaly refugees who temporarily lived in Nafatalan and

who openly confessed that the day before the large scale attack of

Russian-Armenian contingent army on Khojaly, the town was encircled.

 

And several days before the attack, Armenians gave the inhabitants

warnings by loudspeakers about the planned operation and suggested

that the population abandon the settlement and break out the

encirclement by the humanitarian corridor, along the bank of the

river Kar-Kar. According to Khojaly inhabitants, they made use of that

corridor, and the Armenian soldiers being at this corridor, in fact,

didn't open fire at them. Several soldiers from the NFA battalion,

for some reason, helped part of the Khojaly inhabitants out to the

village Nakhijevanik which at that time was under control of Askeran

battalion of Armenians. The rest of the population was straddled by

artillery fire at the foot of Aghdam region.

 

Being in Askeran, I listened to the assistant chief of the Askeran

local authorities Slavik Arushanyan and compared his recollections

with the words of Khojali inhabitants who were under fire from the

Azerbaijani side.

 

I asked S. Arushanyan to help me to show the corridor through which

the Khojaly inhabitants went out. Getting to know the geographical

surroundings, I can state with a full conviction that conjectures about

the absence of Armenian corridor are groundless. The corridor indeed

existed. Otherwise the Khojali inhabitants, completely surrounded and

isolated from the outer world, could never have breached the rings

and get out of the encirclement. However, getting over the area at

the river Kar-Kar, the line of the refugees divided into groups and

nobody knows why one part of the Khojali people made their way to the

direction of Nakhijevanik. It seems that battalions of NFA strived

not for the liberation of Khojaly inhabitants, but longed for much

blood on the way of A. Mutalibov's overthrow.

 

As S. Arushanyan says: "Several days before the attack, your then

president A. Mutalibov gave a telephone call to Stepanakert and

made a request to Mkrtchyan, our former president. He requested to

provide conditions for the people to leave the blockade Khojaly. In

reply Mkrtchyan asked A. Mutalibov - why aren't you interested in

your people's destiny? The helicopters sent from Baku are loaded by

the cattle and not by people."

 

Yes, they managed to evacuate the cattle, but not the people. Such

are the sad recollections about the first Karabakh war.

 

I asked the Askeran inhabitants: "I was told in Karabakh that

Azerbaijani live here. Is it true?"

 

"We can visit them right now", answered S. Arushanyan to my surprise.

 

Indeed, in the very centre of Askeran, lives an Azerbaijani by name

Tofik Aliev. And the most interesting thing is that learning that I

am from Baku, he wasn't embarrassed at all.

 

- I have lived here since 1960. We moved here from Ujar region. After

the beginning of the mass disturbances I moved to Azerbaijan and

again returned to Ujar. I couldn't survive there.

 

- When did you return to Askeran?

 

- In 1991. True, at some moment they wanted to kill me.

 

Here S. Arushanyan interrupted our conversation: "I told the guys then-

why to kill him? What is he guilty of? Today there is no difference

for us what nationality Tofik is".

 

Well, this story shocked me so much that, returning to Karabakh, I was

eager to share my impressions with readers. And how astonished I was

when the so-called minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Mamedyarov disproved

my impressions and estimated them by a beloved word "provocation".

 

Eynulla Fatulaev (Baku) Lachin-Shusha-Aghdam-Khankendi-Baku Source:

newspaper "Realniy Azerbaijan"

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POLITICIAN: "IF THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT XOCALI IS FOUND OUT IT WILL BE A GREAT SLAP FOR AZERBAIJANIS"

 

http://times.am/?l=en&p=5036

 

Today at "Hayeli" ("Mirros") press-club politicians Alexander Manasyan

and Ashot Bleyan met with journalists.

 

Speaking about public's involvement in the Arstakh issue, A. Bleyan

noted: "The public involvement has been changed during the years. Till

1994 everyone in society knew its place. This was a unique solidarity

and it brought a success to us. Today the public seems to be isolated

from the issue as now it is the round of negotiations where the

society seems to have nothing to do. On those years Arstakh survival

was a national issue".

 

The politician also informed that during some last years he has

fulfilled educational some projects with Arstakh. Due to those projects

many Armenian teenagers discovered Artsakh for them and made ties

with Artsakh people.

 

Referring to the public involvement in Artsakh issue another speaker

of press-conference, Alexander Manasyan said: "Azerbaijani society

is involved in the issue in one way and we are involved in another way.

 

Very often we have to prove in the international forums that on

1988 Azerbaijani masses were involved in massacres, were involved in

occupations. They had a massive involvement in massacres and this was

the type of their involvement. We had another way. We had volunteers,

kamikazes."

 

Speaking about our days A. Manasyan noted: "We have a national

mentality, which often damages us. After the war we consider that

everything is over and we stop worrying". The politician explains

that this character led us to have losses in the information war for

a long time. But now according to him the situation is changed.

 

Speaking about today's reality, A. Bleyan especially rated the fact of

self-identified Artsakh. Accoridng to him Artsakh self-determination

is a fact and it brings new tasks with it. "Those noew tasks must

change me, my actions. Artsakh will also be changed due to this fact",

the politician considers. According to him now it is very important

for us to urge Azerbaijan to recognize Arstakh self-determination.

 

Recently Azerbaijani propaganda measures have started to use so called

"Xoxali genocide". Pakistan has recognized the "genocide" and Mexico

seems to be on the way of recognition. Referring to Xocali events, Al.

 

Manasyan said: "We write about Xocali, but we write for us. We think

that as the truth is for us it will also work for us. But it never

happens in such a way in the information war. Aezrbaijan works hard

towards the issue and spreads disinformation. As we are passive they

act actively".

 

Manasyan considers that we must appeal to the court against Azerbaijan

for Xocali.

 

"In reality, Karabakh forces informed Baku that the military action

must take place and Xocali must be liberated. Azerbaijani authorities

might take the peace population far from the territory. But they

did not do it. They needed to get free of Mutalibov then and that is

why they used this occasion. Peae population was shot from Aghdam,

from the territory, which was under Azerbaijani supervision. So this

means that the massacre took place under Azerbaijani supervision. If

the truth about Xocali is discovered it will be a strong slap for

Azerbaijanis. They will see how people pay for the authorities. And

that is why Azerbaijani authorities are so aggressive about this

theme today", Manasyan underlined.

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EXPERT: ARMENIA MUST SUE AZERBAIJAN FOR KHOJALU

 

PanARMENIAN.Net

February 22, 2012 - 13:20 AMT

 

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan has created a good mechanism for spreading

the lie around the world, an Armenian political scientist said.

 

Alexander Manasyan believes that lie can be defeated easily if much

effort is made, so Armenia must bring the truth to the international

community.

 

"We must file an international suit against Azerbaijan for Khojalu

issue and obtain justice," the expert told a press conference in

Yerevan.

 

"We must lead a propaganda war against Azerbaijan, fight them using

their own methods, and tell the world the truth. We must wage an

information war; if we miss the moment, it will be too late to prove

anything," he said.

[Yervant1]

20:36 19/02/2013 » Region

Jaromír Štětina suggests denouncing resolution on Khojalu presented by Czech MP

 

 

Czech senator sent a letter to current Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Miroslava Němcová. Member of Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Jaromír Štětina in the letter that is addressed to Speaker of Parliament Miroslava Němcová has expressed his concern about the resolution admitted by the this commission on February 7 connected with Khojalu events.

 

Armenian European magazine “Days” reports that Štětina stresses that this resolution has been accepted a few days later of the meeting of the chairman of commission David Vodrazka with the Azerbaijani ambassador to Czech Republic Tahir Tanghizade. The document says that 613 peaceful inhabitants have been violently killed by the Armenian military units in KHojalu.

“This statement does not correspond to reality, and I think that the Azerbaijani ambassador is misleading the Committee on Foreign Relations. I was working in Nagorno Karabakh as a foreign correspondent by the time when the Armenian troops seized Khojalu and I was quite familiar to the whole situation. The Armenian troops occupied Khojalu and the airport of Stepanakert that was close to that place. Before they would attack they announced that they leave a corridor for the civilians which would lead them to Azerbaijani city of Aghdam. Most of the inhabitants of Khojalu have used that corridor, some of them have been seized and moved to Stepanakert and kept in one of the schools there, I have met them for several times there (most of them were not Azerbaijanis but Turks from Mskheti,) they have been set free later on. The violent mass killings of several dozens of civilians have been committed on their way to Aghdam, on Azerbaijani territory, which was controlled by Azerbaijani troops and militarized forces. According to Armenian version and according to my information that I was receiving by that time it is more possible that the Turks of Mskheti have been cruelly killed by the Azerbaijani non-governmental special troops.

 

This has taken place before resignation of Azerbaijani president Mutalibov, who stated that these mass killings aimed at driving him from power by accusing him in being unable to secure the safety of his own people,” Štětina says in his letter.

 

According to the source the senator stressed at the end of the letter addressed to the speaker of the Parliament that the resolution of the Defence and Security committee does not correspond to balanced and correct relations of Czech Republic with South Caucasus and promotes the growth of tension in the region.

 

“As far as this resolution is based on one-sided and false information provided by one of the conflicting sides, and as the other side has had no chance to get acquainted with the document I offer the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Speaker, to invalidate the resolution,” Jaromír Štětina says in the letter addressed to Parliament Speaker Miroslava Němcová.

 

On February 7 the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security of Czech Republic held a voting, almost secretly, not informing those members of the committee who could vote against the resolution and present the viewpoints of the Armenian side too.

 

The document is not yet in force as the chairman of the committee Vodrazka has not signed it yet.

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

AZERBAIJAN AUTHOR OF KHOJALY EVENTS - LARISA ALAVERDYAN

 

TERT.AM

12:54 ~U 22.02.13

 

If Azerbaijan has managed to successfully cover Baku's pogroms, in

case of Khojaly a rather strange thing happened: it was a well-thought

plan as a day before what happened they spread misinformation which

means they had already known what would happen, former human rights

defender Larisa Alaverdyan told the reporters on Friday.

 

She said it was all committed by Azerbaijan.

 

"We all know what happened in Khojaly and we know that it happened

near Aghdam, where Armenians did not have any control. If you are

working to spread lies, you are working harder and Azerbaijan does

it today," ex MP said.

 

She stressed that Europe and the USA are in non equivalent situation

toward Azerbaijani propaganda machine while in Armenia something has

started being done on the state level only in 2009.

 

"I have always said that a breakthrough was registered during the

presidency of the incumbent president. In short period of time four

films were shot which was a very complicated work and though the

works have already launched but it is not satisfactory," she said,

noting that we will not have counterarguments if not a film telling

about Khojaly which should be spread.

 

Alaverdyan said it is rather painful that everything is being done

so late and we finally should understand the cause of being so passive.

 

"That time everything that was possible to do within the commission was

done but the state policy was - let them speak and we keep silence,

lie has short legs, etc., while the lie has been spreading and may

be fatal," she said, adding that Armenia's state policy that time

was to keep silence.

[Yervant1]

16:33 25/02/2013 » Society

Stand presenting Azerbaijani version of Aghdam events taken place in 1992 was destroyed in Turkey

 

 

In Turkey, a group of unknown men attacked the stand representing the Azerbaijani version of Aghdam events taken place in 1992 and known by the Azerbaijani side as “Khojalu”. According to “Haber7.com” seven people have been beaten as a result of the incident.

 

To the event of collecting signatures for pro-Azerbaijani petition, organized by the Hekberyu Tyurkchilyar Association a group of oppositionists rushed in, smashed the stand and attacked the persons responsible for the event beating them with stones, sticks and glass bottles.

 

On February 26, 1992, during the war in Karabakh, around 200 to 300 people (according to Human Right Watch, and 600 according to the version propagated by Azerbaijan) were killed in unknown circumstances near the city of Aghdam. They have been deliberately withheld by the Azerbaijani authorities in the midst of the military actions. Population of the village of Khojalu, which was a firing point shooting at the blockaded Stepanakert (among five others) was kept in the village for months by force and was not evacuated by the authorities of Azerbaijan deliberately, in order to use them as human shields later.

 

Residents of Khojalu coming out through the humanitarian corridor, that the self-defense forces of NKR had left open, freely passed more than 10 km and reached the Aghdam city controlled by the Azerbaijani troops. Later, not far from the positions of Azerbaijani troops dead bodies of the villagers were found. The exact death toll remains unknown as the official Baku publishes data contradicting each other. Parliamentary Commission investigating the tragic death of the civilians at Aghdam city was dissolved by the order of Heydar Aliyev, the investigative materials are kept secret.

 

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

16:55 28/02/2013 » Society

Hayk Demoyan: Aghdam events could, just like attempt on Heydar Aliyev’s life, be planned by Turkish secret services

 

 

Over the years new data and details about the tragedy that took place on the outskirts of Aghdam in 1992 are coming to light. But the question is, what other force besides the People's Front of Azerbaijan were, in reality, behind the carnage, which actually no one needed. This issue is still unrevealed.

News agency Panorama.am asked the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyan for commentary.

“Let's call a spade a spade. Ankara may be blamed in Khojalu massacre; the Turkish secret service, to be more precise. Turkey was clearly not satisfied with the figure of Azerbaijani President Ayaz Mutalibov as a pro-Russian politician, which sought to ensure Azerbaijan's membership in the CIS. During the first month after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Turkey supported by the West, especially the United States, actively sought to present itself as a visual model of state building. Turkish leaders in the face of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan found decent support in order to strengthen its influence in Azerbaijan. In this regard, publication of Turkish newspaper “Hurriyet” on 17 May 1992, i.e. 2 days after Mutalibov’s re-overthrow, can be considered a sensation. In the magazine one of the senior Turkish Foreign Ministry officials was quoted who in an outburst of joy said about Mutalibov: “Our boys have done it” the English translation of these words was the most interesting. It’s not hard to guess who these boys are,” Hayk Demoyan says.

Asked about the reasons for Turkey's commitment in the commission of such a bloody act, director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute said that apparently in this case Ankara killed not two but even several birds by one shot.

“First of all, after Armenia gained its independence, the Turkish side became concerned about the possible activation of Armenian Diaspora’s movement, as well as about the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the independent Armenia and the prospective of possible compensation. From this point of view, the representation of the Armenians as people disposed on mass murders, played into Turkey’s hands, which could seek in Aghdam events a good reason for creating a counter image. One could even claim that it could be considered as a strategic task for Ankara.

Second, the pro-Russian Azerbaijani President Mutalibov was not convenient for Turkish authorities, who would prefer to see obviously pro-Turkish-minded leaders from Popular Front instead of him. Abulfaz Elchibey, APF leader, never concealed his sympathy to everything Turkish, and was constantly expressing himself in an aggressive pan-Turkic manner. Such a massacre was a discrediting evidence for any leader. As a result, we can see that this scenario worked. Mutalibov resigned, PFA in face of Elchibey came to power,” Hayk Demoyan notes.

According to the expert, the involvement of the Turkish agents in the operation of correcting the political administration of Azerbaijan has its own traditions which come since 1918, and February-May events that took place in 1992 can be considered the first successful and a well-planned attempt to recreate these traditions.

“Turkish security forces, who twice tried to remove Heydar Aliyev, didn’t approve of some of his actions after he came to power. The first attempt was so bold and open, that in 1995, during a visit to Baku, the Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Chiller personally apologized to the head of Azerbaijan. The second attempt took place a year later, in 1996, and this time the Azerbaijani special services managed to arrest some persons who were directly connected with the intelligence agencies of Turkey. Let’s add also the assassination attempts on presidents of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan by Turkish intelligence agencies,” Hayk Demoyan says.

Hayk Demoyan notes that there is another interesting fact; on 25 February Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati was in Baku on mediatory mission. The visit of Velayati was also planned to be held in Stepanakert and negotiations to be held with the official leadership of the NKR. In the morning of February 27 Velayati left for the capital city of Nagorno-Karabakh, but his plane landed in Aghdam. At a time when Khojalu was under the complete control of Armenian forces, Commander of the Defence Emergency headquarters of Shushi Rahim Gaziyev told by telephone that “the fight for Khojaly continues”. Then Gaziyev continued and said that “the decision of ceasefire (for Velayati’s security) in a situation where the Armenian side captured Khojalu was wrong and is unlikely to be kept."

“It is not difficult to guess that this message contains obvious desire to disrupt A. Velayati’s mission by NFA and the Turkish secret services. The growing influence of Iran in Azerbaijan, especially its role as a mediator in the Karabakh problem, was obviously not within the interests of Ankara. By that time some Western leaders openly stated that the South Caucasus and Central Asia is a zone of Turkish influence, the main role of which according to them was combating the spread of Islamic fundamentalism and Iranian influence. But the most important thing, in my opinion, is the desire of the Turkish side to create grounds for accusing Armenians in crimes against humanity by organizing these mass exterminations," Demoyan stated.

On February 26, 1992, during the war in Karabakh, around 200 to 300 people (according to Human Right Watch, and 600 according to the version propagated by Azerbaijan) were killed in unknown circumstances near the city of Aghdam. They have been deliberately withheld by the Azerbaijani authorities in the midst of the military actions. Population of the village of Khojalu, which was one of the firing points shooting at the blockaded Stepanakert (among five others) was kept in the village for months by force and was not evacuated by the authorities of Azerbaijan deliberately, in order to use them as human shields later.

Residents of Khojalu coming out through the humanitarian corridor, that the self-defense forces of NKR had left open, freely passed more than 10 km and reached the Aghdam city controlled by the Azerbaijani troops. Later, not far from the positions of Azerbaijani troops dead bodies of the villagers were found. The exact death toll remains unknown as the official Baku publishes data contradicting each other. Parliamentary Commission investigating the tragic death of the civilians at Aghdam city was dissolved by the order of Heydar Aliyev, the investigative materials are kept secret.

Documentary:

 

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

CZECH LAWMAKERS CONSIDERING ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION ON SUMGAIT EVENTS - TSVETANA PASKALEVA

 

NEWS.AM

March 05, 2013 | 15:21

 

YEREVAN.- The Czech parliament is considering possibility of adopting

resolution on Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, Bulgarian TV reporter

Tsvetana Paskaleva said in Yerevan.

 

During her last trip to Prague, Paskaleva met with Czech MPs,

representatives of the foreign ministry and civil society. During

one of the meetings true facts on Sumgait events were presented.

 

Azerbaijani students participating in the meeting first tried to

disturb the meeting, she said.

 

One of the participants was famous Czech journalist Dana Mazalova. It

was in an interview with Mazalova that former Azerbaijani president

Ayaz Mutalibov said the extermination of the peaceful Azerbaijani

population of Khojaly was organized by the Popular Front, who was

trying o overthrow him.

 

Being surprised by the true facts presented during the meeting, the

representative of the Czech Parliament told how the Khojaly resolution

was adopted. According to the deputy, the bill was not on the agenda,

and was presented at the end of the day. The resolution was adopted

in haste, without studying the document. Asked how it turns out that

the Czech Republic, declaring its neutrality in the Karabakh process,

takes such a biased move, they answered a resolution on the Sumgait

events is being considered to restore the balance.

[Yervant1]

A Plea by an Armenian Student and Global Citizen

 

NewUniveristy.org

Mar 05, 2013

 

By Talar Malakian

 

The international legal definition of the crime of genocide is the

`intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial

or religious group' with acts that accompany that intent. As I read

this online, I wondered about how the definition of genocide and

ethnic cleansing is being debated right here on campus by a conflict

that has made the abstract actual.

 

The conflict is felt by two student associations and

ethnically-affiliated groups on campus who have hosted lectures about

historically Armenian Nagorno-Karabagh's independence and the current

conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, along with one specific

event in the Azerbaijani-Armenian War from 1988 to 1994 that

Azerbaijan calls the Khojaly Massacre, which was the attack of a

village with a large Azerbaijani population.

 

The war and a series of attacks began because Nagorno-Karabagh,

supported by Armenia, proclaimed a de facto independence when

Azerbaijan felt that the land belonged to them because of Stalin's

assignment of land in 1923.

 

We have to ask ourselves the following: Does the definition of

genocide and ethnic cleansing apply to the Khojaly calamity?

 

Firstly, preceding the Khojaly calamity that occurred from February

25-26 in 1992, there were a series of anti-Armenian pogroms led by the

Azerbaijanis called the Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku massacres. Each of

these massacres was led by Azerbaijanis and took place between the

time of 1988 and 1990, directly before the Khojaly event that

Azerbaijan claims was an act of ethnic cleansing by Armenians. But

even if we disregard these massacres and move on to the Khojaly

massacre itself, there are several issues in calling the event ethnic

cleansing.

 

During the time that the Khojaly calamity occurred, international

sources point to the fact that Stepanakert, an Armenian town, was

being shelled indiscriminately on a daily basis from Khojaly, Shushi

and Janhasan. There were over 200,000 missiles fired from Khojaly. So

did Azerbaijan anticipate that Armenians would not disarm Khojaly when

they were being attacked?

 

And even then, why do international sources and Azerbaijani president

Ayaz Mutalibov say that =80=9Cthe Armenians had, in any case, provided

a corridor to let the civilians escape' when they could have shot them

from a fortress called Askeran that they occupied that overlooks

Khojaly, the very site that they were said to have `ethnically

cleansed?' Why did Armenian troops allow civilians to reach another

village by warning them in advance of an oncoming military assault,

and why did the Azerbaijani government, who was aware of this attack,

evacuate cattle before they evacuated their women and children?

 

Armenian troops warned Azerbaijan of their disarmament, even after

being victims to a series of pogroms and attacks at the hands of the

Azeris. They could have attacked but they allowed the civilians to

escape. Is this ethnic cleansing?

 

Recently, the Azerbaijani government jailed and attacked a novelist

for expressing sympathy for Armenians; promoted an Azerbaijani soldier

for killing an Armenian in his sleep with an axe and exponentially

increased their military spending while amplifying belligerent

rhetoric against Armenia, threatening to shoot down civilian planes

that fly into the Khojaly airport. All of these human rights

violations stem from constructing an enemy out of a collective memory

owned by the Azerbaijani government.

 

I call Azerbaijani students my brothers and sisters because we are

global citizens of this world dedicated to fact, to truth, to justice,

but I also wonder who has control over this collective memory of the

Khojaly trauma?

 

At the last lecture hosted by the Azerbaijani Student Association,

five armed security guards showed up and stood behind us because

Armenian students were there, asking questions about Khojaly.

 

Azerbaijani peers, I mourn your losses and ours experienced during the

time of this war. But I also ask that you question the blame you

assign and question, as well as the very authority of the memories

that have made me your enemy. Let's speak for justice, but when we do,

let's also remember that justice can only be accompanied by the truth

without fabrications, without physical force, without violations of

our rights as human beings and global citizens.

 

Talar Malakian is a third-year English major (at the University of

California, Irvine). She can be reached at tmalakia@uci.edu.

[Yervant1]

"KHOJALU" HASN'T GOT ITS LEGAL ASSESSMENT YET

 

http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=967:khojalu-hasnt-got-its-legal-assessment-yet-&catid=5:politics&Itemid=17

Thursday, 14 March 2013 15:02

 

Chairman of the NKR NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations

Vahram ATANESIAN is answering our questions: - Mr. Atanesian,

I would like to draw your attention to the article of Director of the

Moscow Institute for Political and Social Research in the Black Sea

and Caspian Region Vladimir Zakharov, in which the author expressed

concern about the fact that the Armenian party did not work on a

proper level with other states to give an impartial assessment of

the Khojalu events.

 

At the same time, the Russian political scientist recalled the document

adopted by the Czech Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee, which

qualified the Khojalu events as genocide.

 

We know that the Czech Republic is one of the states, which

immediately responded to the extradition of Azeri murderer Ramil

Safarov, condemning the Azerbaijani-Hungarian deal.

 

- The document adopted by the Czech Parliament's Foreign

Relations Committee, which was signed by the Committee Chairman,

didn't contain the word "genocide". Apparently, it is the Azerbaijani

interpretation, since the document noted that "tragic events took

place there, leading to human deaths". The events were evaluated as

the most massive killings of civilians during the Karabakh war. As for

the fact that this country responded to Safarov's extradition and then

to the events in Khojalu, this happened due to the consistent work

of the Azerbaijani party. Let's admit the truth. It is known that

Azerbaijan uses great efforts and amounts for presenting Khojalu

as a military crime committed by the Armenian party. Azerbaijan

is conducting everyday and quite successive propaganda works on the

Khojalu issue: the initiative "Justice to Khojalu" is sponsored by the

Heydar Aliev Foundation, the chairwoman of which is Mehriban Alieva and

the vice-chairwoman is Aliev's daughter Leyla. The latter spends a lot

of time abroad, introducing herself as the author of the initiative.

 

Naturally, when a similar action is implemented on the presidential

family level, the foreign diplomatic, expert, and information circles

are more susceptible towards this person. Perhaps, truth doesn't play

such a great role in politics as lobbying. The statement of the Czech

Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee should be considered as a

manifestation of this lobbying.

 

- Unfortunately, we can't say the same about the Armenian

party. What do you think of this?

 

- I'd like to be frank and use non-diplomatic formulations. Our

approach to this issue isn't regulated at all: any political, military

or public figure says what he thinks. Recently, one of the Azerbaijani

mass media has re-published an article by Levon Melik-Shakhnazaryan,

in which he described Khojalu as the greatest victory of the Armenian

weapon. Some formulations of the article profited the Azerbaijani

party, which, referring to them, stated: look what is written about

Khojalu by the Armenian political figure who chaired the NKR Supreme

Soviet's Foreign Relations Standing Committee in 1992. The Azerbaijani

party has repeatedly referred to the co-published book of Margar and

Seda Melkonians, which is dedicated to the memory of Monte Melkonian

and which contains regrettable mistakes. The book author is a person

who has never been to the NKR and who didn't see what had happened

in Khojalu. Moreover, Margar didn't meet his brother after Khojalu.

 

Unfortunately, we couldn't prevent the conditions, which didn't

correspond to the reality and which were disputable. We should also

note that during the military activities and the following days the

political and military authorities of Karabakh missed the control

over any journalist visiting Khojalu. And the Azerbaijani party has

recently published photos by St. Petersburg journalist Victoria Ivleva,

which were alleged made on February 27, 1992, in Khojalu. The Armenian

party didn't respond, while it could, at least, apply to the woman

for denial. It isn't excluded that the material is fabricated.

 

The Azerbaijanis usually use the photos related to the mass massacres

in Kosovo or Zagreb (the capital of Croatia), presenting them as

the events in Khojalu. A website on Khojalu in Armenian, Russian,

and Azerbaijani is created in the RA, which is an abundant source

of documents, photos, and even videos, but the propaganda activity

cannot be generally considered satisfactory.

 

- The Khojalu-related facts, testimonies of witnesses and all

other materials need to be analyzed, which, let's admit, is almost

out of any attention.

 

- Today, we have the goal of giving a legal assessment to the

Khojalu events. Huge legal vacuum exists here, and the corresponding

bodies do not work properly. I know some materials that are put into

circulation by so-called head of the executive power of Khojalu Elman

Mamedov who is currently a member of the Azerbaijani Milli Mejlis

and is always involved in international business. But, no one from

the Armenian side provides any material to the countries where this

political figure has meetings. Mamedov reported to the parliamentary

commission, researching the Khojalu events, that together with a few

other people, he had been fighting 8 or 9 hours against the Armenian

soldiers, who had surrounded them, in a gulch, 2 or 3 kilometers

from Aghdam.

 

According to him, he reached Aghdam on February 26, late in the

evening. No one says the following: if fighting 8 hours against the

Armenian fighters, 2 or 3 kilometers from Aghdam, is a real case,

so the shots had to be heard in Aghdam. Corresponding support had

to be provided to them from Aghdam. So, his report is false. And

giving testimonies to the Azerbaijani Prosecutor's Office, Elman

Mamedov didn't note this fact. If he noted this, a criminal case had

to be filed then. Mamedov spread around the world that he had lost 30

relatives during the Khojalu events. The matter is that the 30 people

didn't include his parents, wife, child, sister or brother. So, who

were they? The Azerbaijani party says that it wasn't informed about

the humanitarian corridor. In that case, why did they leave Khojalu

through the Karkar watercourse, instead of the Khojalu-Askeran highway,

which was open? Especially that Khojalu wasn't fired from Askeran. Or,

who took the people to the forests? There are numerous questions. Let's

recall another information, which was recorded by the Azerbaijani

National Security Ministry. On February 16, two citizens of Khojalu,

Orujev and Musaev, reached Aghdam from Khojalu. On February 18,

the group returned, and 3 people joined it. The group brought 3000

bullets to Khojalu from Aghdam. On February 11, the Ministry of

National Security submitted a document to the Azerbaijani Security

Council, which clearly stated that there were two ways for Khojalu

population's evacuation - the gas line to Kyatuk and the Garagaya

site near Shelli, where they would be met by the forces, which would

come from Aghdam. The largest mass murder site was Garagaya. If

the massacres were committed by the Armenian party, so the way

for evacuation was provided to the Armenian self-defense forces by

the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry. Do you imagine such a

thing? And was the Armenian party really able to bring a punitive

detachment to Shelly, which is in half a kilometer from Aghdam? So,

we can bring thousands contradictions of the kind, which is given

in the propaganda materials of the Azerbaijani party. And to this

end, expertise works are needed. I'm talking about open sources

of information, but there are also close sources, which we do not

possess. And we should submit corresponding requirements to the

parliaments, which make similar statements. Finally, 181human bodies

were subjected to forensic medical examination in Aghdam, while the

Azerbaijani party stated over 600 victims.

 

- Doesn't the position of some US states regarding the Khojalu

events give reason for thinking? And if even our foreign friends are

expressing their concern, it means that the Armenian party has much

to do.

 

- I think there is a problem of psychological ban, which is felt

even in places. If an attempt is made to take a step in line with the

international situation or to express any point of view, it does not

receive corresponding understanding. Today, the Azerbaijani party is

using the Jewish lobbying in a very gentle way. For example, it made

the Ghuba events a subject of discussions. The Stepan Shahumyan-led

troops of the communist regime realized a pursuit there, leading to

civilian casualties, and this was presented as an organized pogrom

against the highland Jews by Armenians. We know that the Jews are

very sensitive towards the events related to them. And we cannot

make a statement to join those who remember all the victims of any

Genocide in order that one can say tomorrow that paying tribute to the

memory of the Sumgait victims, the NKR remembers also about those of

the Holocaust. We should work with the Jews, as the abilities of the

Jewish lobbying are known all over the world. Let's refer to Khojalu:

recently, the Azerbaijanis have placed a petition, signed by 100 000

people, at the official site of the White House. According to the

USA Constitution, if such a number of people apply to the American

Government, the latter must respond to it. And the Azerbaijanis

placed the issue of the "Khojalu Genocide". Though they got a very

tough answer, but it is today's picture. What it will be tomorrow? We

should also remember that the Azeris are greatly supported by Turkey

using all the channels. And what can we say about the fact that 7

states of the USA have issued different statements on the Khojalu

events? And if the Czech Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee

has issued a statement, we shouldn't start working with this state

after this. We should conduct coordinated work with all the states,

putting a package of documents into circulation. All the states have

their websites, at which we should place our materials; to this end,

we should unite the efforts of the diplomacy, the Armenian Diaspora's

structures, and the NKR Permanent Representations.

 

- The Khojalu issue seems to get greater publicity with

years. What is it conditioned by?

 

- The Azerbaijani party has made the issue especially acute

for the recent years. The version I'm going to put forward may seem

too bold, but I'm convinced of this. An attempt is made to insure

the Azerbaijani authorities from further discoveries. Our goal is to

achieve the legal assessment; if needed, the parties should create

a corresponding commission, which will disclose the documents of the

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. In particular, military activities on

attacking Askeran and lifting the blockade of Khojalu were planned

for February 25, 2:30 pm. But, no commander appeared at the Aghdam

conscript station this time. Why didn't the military activities take

place? Artillery commander of the Aghdam troops Colonel Nechiporenko

stated to the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's investigator that he had

realized the command of F. Hajiev, launching 2 full charges of Â"GradÂ"

device, i.e. 80 missiles in the direction of Khojalu to destroy the

airport. And, according to them, the greatest panic occurred after the

airport-adjacent houses were burnt. Putting similar facts together,

we can firmly imagine the events. The truth is that everybody in

Azerbaijan was waiting for Mutalibov's resignation. For assessing

the then political situation in Azerbaijan, it is enough to recall

the ultimatum of the Popular Front addressed to Ayaz Mutalibov and

published on February 18, 1992 in Azadlygh newspaper. Â"...If you

don't resign voluntarily, so the Popular Front of Azerbaijan will

not be able to escape bloodshedÂ".

 

Õ~YRuzan ISHKHANIAN

[Yervant1]

17:48 06/11/2013 » Society

Opening of Khojalu genocide museum in Ankara rejected

Authorities of Ankara rejected the proposal of municipality of Kyzyljyhamam in regard of opening the "Khojalu Genocide Museum" in the capital of Turkey. According to the Azerbaijani news agency "1news.az," the executive power of the city felt that "the use of the word" genocide "in the name of the object is associated with diplomatic difficulties". In this regard, the municipality of the capital offered to pick up another name for the museum.

Coskun Unal, the head of the municipality of Kyzyldzhyhamam district told reporters that the museum will have to be renamed. "Ankara’s authorities stated that the usage of the word "genocide" is unacceptable from the legal point of view and it could lead to diplomatic difficulties. Perhaps the museum will be called the "The tragedy Museum", or something else. Now we are thinking over a new name," Coskun Unal said.

On February 26, 1992, during the war in Karabakh, around 200 to 300 people (according to Human Right Watch, and 600 according to the version propagated by Azerbaijan) were killed in unknown circumstances near the city of Aghdam. They have been deliberately withheld by the Azerbaijani authorities in the midst of the military actions. Population of the village of Khojalu, which was one of the firing points shooting at the blockaded Stepanakert (among five others) was kept in the village for months by force and was not evacuated by the authorities of Azerbaijan deliberately, in order to use them as human shields later.

Residents of Khojalu coming out through the humanitarian corridor, that the self-defense forces of NKR had left open, freely passed more than 10 km and reached the Aghdam city controlled by the Azerbaijani troops. Later, not far from the positions of Azerbaijani troops dead bodies of the villagers were found. The exact death toll remains unknown as the official Baku publishes data contradicting each other. Parliamentary Commission investigating the tragic death of the civilians at Aghdam city was dissolved by the order of Heydar Aliyev, the investigative materials are kept secret.

Documentary: “Between hunger and fire. Power at the cost of lives”

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

16:16 09/11/2013 » Society

BBC: History books in Azerbaijan are written with nationalistic approach

Modern history textbooks taught at Azerbaijani schools are written with nationalistic approach, told Nabatali Gulamoglu, Azerbaijani expert in the field of education, in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Writing a single history textbook in Russia gives rise to a lot of arguments: they argue whether they need such a textbook, and how to write it when the society is split as regards to its own past. The Russian Service of BBC has touched upon the issues of how textbooks are being written in Azerbaijan.

"Generally, many countries try to write their own history, emphasizing the role of the war heroes. Therefore, there is fairly little criticism in our textbooks, if any at all. There should be issued alternative textbooks in order to somehow oppose this situation, for those who read them, could compare different viewpoints and knew what happened in reality," said the expert in education sphere Nabatali Gulamoglu.

The article quotes an extract from the Azerbaijani history textbook of a fifth grade, "The Khojaly tragedy": "A lot of tragic and sad events have happened in history, but Khojaly is the biggest and saddest one of them. It is not only the most terrible tragedy that Azerbaijan faced, but is the worst one that faced the humanity."

Here is another quote concerning the events that happened in January 1990, "Black January ": "The leaders of the Soviet empire, wanted to stop the disintegration of the USSR and to scare those people who demanded freedom. It was decided to organize a massacre in Baku, in the epicenter of the liberation movement. A lot of troops moved to Baku. '"

"Those who form our textbooks are subjected to populistic sentiments; they present the fictional and illogical things as a fact. The political position strongly influences it. The authors of these textbooks believe that thus they serve the people, but they do not realize the true meaning of these words. They are not independent," the expert, who is a member of a group involved in the monitoring of textbooks published in Azerbaijan, noted.

According Gulamoglu certain authors and publishers in Azerbaijan have a monopoly on writing history books.

At the same time they are trying to write carefully about the Soviet times in Azerbaijan, because they think that otherwise it could harm their relations with Russia: "The way that the Soviet period was presented in textbooks, never reflects the real story of those times. No need to exaggerate or to try to describe the bygone era in a romantic style. This may last 5-10 years, but when the grown-generation discovers the truth, we will be ashamed."

On January 13-19, in 1990 pogroms took place in Baku, during which according to official figures of Azerbaijan 56 Armenians were killed, while according to witnesses - about a thousand people. The rest of the Armenian population of Baku, which was estimated over 200,000, was expelled from the Azerbaijani capital. Azerbaijani militants attempted to resist; 28 Soviet soldiers were killed, more than 90 were wounded. According to official figures of Azerbaijan as a result of the introduction of troops 132 "civilians" of Baku were killed and 744 were wounded. However, some experts argue that among the killed "civilians" there were both Azerbaijani militants and Armenians murdered a few days earlier by Azerbaijani nationalists.

On February 26, 1992, during the war in Karabakh, around 200 to 300 people (according to Human Right Watch, and 600 according to the version propagated by Azerbaijan) were killed in unknown circumstances near the city of Aghdam. They have been deliberately withheld by the Azerbaijani authorities in the midst of the military actions. Population of the village of Khojalu, which was one of the firing points shooting at the blockaded Stepanakert (among five others) was kept in the village for months by force and was not evacuated by the authorities of Azerbaijan deliberately, in order to use them as human shields later.

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

ENGLISH JOURNALIST VISITS MEXICAN EMBASSY IN LONDON TO TELL FACTS ABOUT KHOJALU

He turned to me with a serious expression and asked me if I felt
concerned for my safety or had received personal threats from
Azerbaijan.

After writing to the Mexican Ambassador in the UK on a number of
occasions plus many follow-up phone calls on their "recognition"
of Khojalu last year, I was finally invited to discuss the subject,
in person, at their London office, on March 12, 2014.

March 13, 2014

PanARMENIAN.Net - Having also written to the Colombian, Czech,
and Peruvian embassies, Mexico was the only Embassy that expressed
genuine concern about this subject, and particularly the way that
their name was being used by Azerbaijan for propaganda purposes. In
addition to expressing support for Azerbaijan on Khojalu, Mexico City
had also erected a statue of Aliyev in their main public park. This
was subsequently removed which resulted in political tension with
Azerbaijan.

My meeting with Ambassador Alejandro Estivill was an opportunity to
take him through the detail of my article Khojalu: The Deception
of Azerbaijan and to explain more of the contextual background to
the events as well as ensuring that he fully understood all of the
implications. I presented the sequence of events, and the objective
source facts. He understood very quickly the issues I was explaining,
and saw the questions that this raised with the Azeri propaganda. I
asked him to accept that there was significant ambiguity and that
perhaps Azeri officials should be invited to answer the questions
that he had raised.

Following my original communication he had done his own research in
to how Azerbaijan was using the name of Mexico for their own publicity.

This was a matter of concern to him. I also highlighted that,
externally, it was seen that Mexico was "recognizing" Khojalu in return
for investment from Azerbaijan. He assured me that this was not true.

He confirmed that his next action would be to send all of my
documentation to Ambassador Juan Manuel Gomez Robledo (Foreign Ministry
of Mexico - Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights)
in Mexico.

Meeting the Ambassador and communicating the real facts behind Khojalu,
highlighting the questions that need to be asked, and so creating a
major sense of concern with key officials in the Mexican Government
exceeded my initial expectations. Now, Mexico's unconditional
withdrawal of their previous statement on Khojalu is the only final
outcome that I will be truly satisfied with.

As I was about to leave his office at the end of the meeting, he turned
to me with a serious expression and asked me if I felt concerned for
my safety or had received personal threats from Azerbaijan. I smiled,
as I knew, for certain, that he had genuinely understood the magnitude
of the information I'd just given him.

Russell Pollard, an English journalist and photographer, has visited
Nagorno Karabakh 9 times over the last 4 years. He is the founder
of the website www.Artsakh.Org.UK and writes regularly on issues
relating to Artsakh. He is active in promoting recognition of the
current situation from an Armenian perspective and also in influencing
an understanding of the truth about the events in and around Khojalu
in 1992.

Russell Pollard http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/details/176809/
http://russellpollard.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/khojaly-meeting-with-ambassador-embassy-of-mexico-in-london/
http://panarmenian.net/eng/news/172095/

[Yervant1]

TURKISH AMBASSADOR TO AZERBAIJAN STATES THAT AGHDAM EVENTS OF 1992 "ARE NOT POSSIBLE TO CALL GENOCIDE"

22:49 19/05/2014 Â" REGION

The Aghdam events taken place in 1992 cannot be called genocide,
said Ambassador of Turkey to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Coskun to
Azerbaijani media.

According to Azerbaijani Information agency APA during the "Manshet"
telecast on APA TV the Turkish ambassador stated that due to the
fact that there is no a court decision on Khojaly genocide, to name
it genocide officially is not possible.

In Azerbaijan they try to name the Aghdam events taken place in 1992
"Khojalu genocide."

On February 26, 1992, during the war in Karabakh, around 200 to 300
people (according to Human Rights Watch, and 600 according to the
version propagated by Azerbaijan) were killed in unknown circumstances
near the city of Aghdam. They have been deliberately withheld by the
Azerbaijani authorities in the midst of the military actions.

Population of the village of Khojalu, which was one of the firing
points shooting at the blockaded Stepanakert (among five others)
was kept in the village for months by force and was not evacuated by
the authorities of Azerbaijan deliberately, in order to use them as
human shields later.

Residents of Khojalu coming out through the humanitarian corridor,
that the self-defense forces of NKR had left open, freely passed more
than 10 km and reached the Aghdam city controlled by the Azerbaijani
troops. Later, not far from the positions of Azerbaijani troops dead
bodies of the villagers were found. The exact death toll remains
unknown as the official Baku publishes data contradicting each other.

Parliamentary Commission investigating the tragic death of the
civilians at Aghdam city was dissolved by the order of Heydar Aliyev,
the investigative materials are kept secret.

Documentary: Between hunger and fire: Power at the expenses of lives.

Source: Panorama.am