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KHOJALY GENOCIDE
More than sixty bodies, including those of women
and children, have been spotted on hillsides in Na-
gorno-Karabakh, confirming claims that Armenian
troops massacred Azeri refugees. Hundreds are
missing.
Scattered amid the withered grass and bushes along
a small valley and across the hillside beyond are the
bodies of last Wednesday’s massacre by Armenian
forces of Azerbaijani refugees.
In all, 31 bodies could be counted at the scene. At
least another 31 have been taken into Aghdam over
the past five days. These figures do not include ci-
vilians reported killed when the Armenians stormed
the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly on Tuesday night.
The figures also do not include other as yet undis-
covered bodies.
Zahid Jabarov, a survivor of the massacre, said he
saw up to 200 people shot down at the point we vis-
ited, and refugees who came by different routes have
also told of being shot at repeatedly and of leaving
a trail of bodies along their path. Around the bod-
ies we saw were scattered possessions, clothing and
personnel documents. The bodies themselves have
been preserved by the bitter cold which killed others
as they hid in the hills and forest after the massacre.
All are the bodies of ordinary people, dressed in the
poor, ugly clothing of workers.
Of the 31 we saw, only one policeman and two ap-
parent national volunteers were wearing uniform.
All the rest were civilians, including eight women
and three small children. Two groups, apparently
families, had fallen together, the children cradled in
the women’s arms.
Several of them, including one small girl, had terri-
ble head injuries: only her face was left. Survivors
have told how they saw Armenians shooting them
point blank as they lay on the ground.
By Anatol Lieven
The Times, 3 March 1992, “Massacre uncovered”