Упрощенная HTML-версия
23
KHOJALY GENOCIDE
Khojaly is a town in the Nagorno-Karabakh
region of Azerbaijan with a total area of 0,94 sq.
km and a population before the conflict of 7,000.
Having the only civil airport in the area, Khojaly
was an important centre of communications.
From October 1991, the town was entirely
surrounded by Armenian forces. On 30 October
ground traffic was cut off and helicopter became
the only means of transportation. When a civilian
helicopter was brought down over Shusha city,
killing 40 people, helicopter traffic also ceased.
From January 1992 the town had no electricity.
Khojaly lived on due to the courage of its people
and the heroism of its defenders.
Over the night of 25-26 February 1992, fol-
lowing a massive artillery bombardment Arme-
nian armed forces and paramilitary units, with
support from the former USSR’s 366th Moto-
rised Infantry Regiment, moved in to seize the
town.
Once the assault began, the remaining in-
habitants (about 2500 people), tried to leave,
hoping to reach the nearest area under Azerbai-
janis control. But most hoped in vain. They were
either killed by gunfire from Armenian military
posts or captured near the villages of Nakhchy-
vanly and Pirjamal. Others, mainly women and
children, died from frostbite while wandering in
the mountains. Only a few were able to reach
Azerbaijani controlled town of Aghdam.
Undoubtedly, what happened in Khojaly
was the largest massacre of the conflict. In all,
the assault and capture of the town took the lives
of 613 of its people, including 106 women, 63
children and 70 elderly. 1,275 were taken hos-
tage, while the fate of 150 people remains un-
known. The town was razed to the ground. In
the course of that tragic night 487 inhabitants of
Khojaly were wounded, including 76 children;
eight families were completely wiped out; 130
children lost one parent and 25 children lost
both. Of those who perished, 56 were killed with
a particular cruelty: they were variously burned
alive, scalped, beheaded or had eyes gouged out,
pregnant women were bayoneted in the abdo-
men.
BASIC FACTS