The Khojaly genocide went down in Azerbaijan’s history as one of the black pages, MP Arzu Naghiyev told News.Az.

“As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderly persons, were brutally killed in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. More than 1,200 people were taken hostage,” said the MP, stressing that these crimes were committed by Armenian armed forces.

The MP referred to former Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan’s interview with British journalist Thomas de Waal: “Before Khojaly, the Azerbaijanis thought that they were joking with us.  They thought that the Armenians were a people who could not raise their hands against the civilian population.  We needed to put a stop to that.  And that’s what happened.”

“[Former Armenian president] Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan are one of those who masterminded the Khojaly massacre,” Naghiyev said.

The lawmaker pointed out that before Khojaly, Armenian armed forces committed massacres in the Azerbaijani villages of Malibeyli, Aghdaban and Garadaghli.

As for the work being done to achieve the recognition of the Khojaly genocide on a global scale, MP Naghiyev stressed the importance of the “Justice For Khojaly” international awareness campaign in this regard.

“The Khojaly genocide is a crime against humanity. Pakistan, Sudan, the parliaments of numerous countries, and several US states have already recognized the Khojaly genocide. Azerbaijan keeps doing everything possible to achieve the recognition of the Khojaly genocide by the international community,” he added.

The Azerbaijani lawmaker noted that the perpetrators of the Khojaly genocide will not go unpunished.

News.Az