Employees of UN mission in Azerbaijan visited the Alley of Martyrs

Staff of the UN mission in Azerbaijan reported on "X" staff account that they visited Alley of Martyrs on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the 20 January tragedy, Azernews reports.

"Employees of the UN office in Azerbaijan met with the Azerbaijani people to honour the memory of those who died in the struggle for independence," the office said.

Recall, today is another anniversary of the events of 20 January 1990, which entered the history of Azerbaijan as the Bloody January tragedy. On the night from 19 to 20 January 1990, by direct order of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Mikhail Gorbachev, troops of the USSR Defence Ministry, State Security Committee and Interior Ministry entered Baku and several districts of Azerbaijan, the civilian population was seriously wounded, massacres were carried out by shelling from equipment and various types of weapons.

Before the state of emergency was declared to the population, 82 people were mercilessly killed and 20 people were mortally wounded by the military. After the state of emergency was declared in Baku, 21 people were killed in a few days.

Eight more people were killed in the regions and cities where the state of emergency was not declared - on 25 January in Neftchal and 26 January in Lankaran. Thus, 147 people were killed and 744 people were injured as a result of the illegal deployment of troops in Baku and neighbouring regions.

#20Yanvar1990 @UNinAzerbaijan joined the people of ???????? in commemoration of lives lost in the struggle for independence. pic.twitter.com/LHx9Q5ADaw

— UN in Azerbaijan (@UNinAzerbaijan) January 20, 2024