A commemorative event dedicated to the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly Genocide was held at Monterey Peace and Justice Center in Monterey, California at the initiative of the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles on February 26, 2018.

Representatives of the Azerbaijani and Turkish communities in Chicago, Illinois organized a rally to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

The rally participants, who gathered in the Michigan Avenue, voiced the slogans “Justice for Khojaly”, “Do not forget Khojaly” and others, Azerbaijan’s Embassy in the United States said.

Turkey’s Consul General in Chicago Umut Acar also joined the rally.

Furthermore, the U.S. Azeris Network (USAN) has organized a protest rally outside the Armenian Embassy in Washington to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide. The rally involved the Azerbaijani communities living in Washington and nearby areas.

On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

AzerNews