Armenian MP: Azerbaijan’s war crimes, including against its own people, are undeniable facts

Armenian opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan addressed the disinformation campaign regarding the Khojaly massacre on its 33rd anniversary on February 26. His full statement is provided below.

"Thirty-three years ago today, internal political clashes in Azerbaijan reached their peak. In an attempt to overthrow then-President Ayaz Mutalibov, rival forces vying for power orchestrated a brutal massacre against their own people.

These events, initially recognized in Azerbaijan in February 1992 as an act of violence against its own population, were later categorized as a so-called genocide against Azerbaijan.

At the time, Artsakh’s self-defense forces were gradually suppressing attacks and missile strikes on the capital Stepanakert and surrounding villages. One of their operations was carried out towards the settlement of Ivanyan (formerly Khojaly). Azerbaijan had turned the village into a military stronghold, using Meskhetian Turks, who had been deliberately settled there, as human shields.

Two to three days before the operation, Armenian forces not only issued warnings via loudspeakers but also informed civilians about a humanitarian corridor that had been set up for their safe exit, leading through the Karkar River valley to Aghdam controlled by Azerbaijani troops. However, according to Azerbaijani sources, the opposition Azerbaijani Popular Front Party, seeking to seize power, deliberately prevented a part of the civilian population from leaving Khojaly, misdirected others, while some of the civilians who had reached Aghdam through the corridor were killed by Azerbaijani militants to fuel a change of power in the country which ultimately occurred.

I would like to emphasize that the area of Aghdam where violence against Azerbaijani civilians was committed was entirely under Azerbaijani control.

Strangely, witnesses who spoke about the Azerbaijani atrocities, the cameraman who recorded them and the editor of the independent media Monitor who published the testimonies were all later assassinated under unknown circumstances. Others who publicly addressed the events were sentenced to prison terms. In other words, there was a deliberate effort to erase the evidence.

In an attempt to rewrite history and erase this shameful episode, Azerbaijani authorities later sought to blame Artsakh’s self-defense forces. However, the truth had already been documented, not only by Azerbaijanis themselves (many of whom were subsequently killed), but also by foreign media outlets and journalists.

No matter how much Armenia’s current leadership remains silent or demonstrates ignorance – whether regarding these events or the pogroms and forced deportations of Armenians in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad and Maragha – Azerbaijan’s war crimes, including those perpetrated against its own people, are internationally established facts."