Written declaration No. 469 | Doc. 12508 | 27 January 2011

The Anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre

Signatories: Ms Ganira PASHAYEVA, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Mr Aydin ABBASOV, Azerbaijan, SOC ; Mr Ruhi AÇIKGÖZ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Lokman AYVA, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Mr Erol Aslan CEBECİ, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Mr Paata DAVITAIA, Georgia, EDG ; Ms Sevinj FATALIYEVA, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Ms Sahiba GAFAROVA, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Mr Sabir HAJIYEV, Azerbaijan, SOC ; Mr Mike HANCOCK, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Rafael HUSEYNOV, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Mr Fazail İBRAHIMLI, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Mr Kastriot ISLAMI, Albania, SOC ; Ms Birgen KELEŞ, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Haluk KOÇ, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Ertuğrul KUMCUOĞLU, Turkey, EDG ; Ms Nursuna MEMECAN, Turkey, ALDE ; Mr Fazil MUSTAFA, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Mr Rovshan RZAYEV, Azerbaijan, EPP/CD ; Mr Samad SEYIDOV, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Mr Elkhan SULEYMANOV, Azerbaijan, EPP/CD ; Mr Mehmet TEKELİOĞLU, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Mr Tuğrul TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EDG ; Ms Özlem TÜRKÖNE, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Mr Mustafa ÜNAL, Turkey, EPP/CD

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

The Khojali genocide is one of the most terrible and tragic pages in the history of Azerbaijan. This merciless and cruel genocide was one of the most dreadful mass terror acts in the history of humankind.

On 26 February 2011 it will be exactly 19 years since Armenian armed forces supported by regular Soviet troops of the 366th Infrantry Regiment captured the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly and ruthlessly massacred its peaceful Azerbaijani residents because of their ethnicity. During the Khojali genocide, 613 persons including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly were slaughtered, nearly 1000 civilians of different age became invalid, 8 families were completely annihilated, 130 children lost one parent, 25 children lost both of them. 1275 civilians were taken hostage; the fate of 150 of them is still unknown. Consequently the town of Khojaly was razed to the ground.

Taking the above-mentioned into account, it would be appropriate to undertake a proper legal and political assessment of this crime against humanity.