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Baku Higher Oil School commemorates victims of January 20 tragedy
A commemorative event dedicated to the 33rd anniversary of the January 20 tragedy has been held at Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS).
Before the event, the staff of the university visited the Alley of Martyrs and laid flowers on the graves of the January 20 victims.
At the event held on the BHOS campus, first, the memory of the victims of the tragedy was commemorated with a minute of silence, and the National Anthem was played.
Opening the event, BHOS Vice-Rector Oktay Rzayev spoke about the bloody events that took place on the night of January 19-20, 1990, and the role these tragic events played in the struggle for independence. He stressed that these events testify to the heroic struggle of the proud Azerbaijani people.
“It was a bloody massacre perpetrated against the Azerbaijani people. The names of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the independence, sovereignty, and freedom of our country are forever engraved in our history and the memory of our people”.
Shakir Azadeliyev, chairman of the Khatai District Organization of the January 20 Public Union, spoke about what he experienced that day as a witness of the tragedy. He said that January 20 was the day when the Azerbaijani people demonstrated their heroism and these events could not break the determination of the Azerbaijani people to fight for independence.
“This bloody crime committed by the Soviet army accelerated the fall of the USSR. As a result of this tragedy, the independence movement in Azerbaijan gained a wider scope.
Sahib Alizade, who was disabled in the 20 January massacre, spoke about the events that took place that night and shared his memories. He said that the events of January 20 are a chronicle of national unity and perseverance.
“The people of Azerbaijan united in their heroic struggle against the Soviet troops. Young people must not forget the tragedies that happened to our people, and they should study our history in depth.”
At the end of the event, the documentary film "January 20: Speaking Fates" was shown.
