Welcome and thank you for visiting our website to learn more about the Khojaly genocide.
Azerbaijan is a proud nation with an ancient history and traditions. It is one of the few countries in the world where numerous ethnic groups live together peacefully, where everyone is treated equally and with respect regardless of their faith, ethnic or racial origin. Azerbaijan, which combines both the eastern and western progress, has always been a home to many religions, ethnic groups and traditions. Tolerance is one of our most precious values and the one to which we are committed to promote and protect.
However, what the inhabitants of Khojaly experienced in February 1992 was far beyond the realm of tolerance. On that night, the Armenian armed forces brutally massacred, tortured and maimed hundreds of innocent people, including children, women and the elderly only because they were Azerbaijanis.
As these crimes are particularly odious and constitute a serious attack on human dignity, it is the moral obligation of our generation to keep the memories of that night alive, remember the genocide and honouring its victims and survivors. Yet, honouring and remembering is not enough. The lesson that should be learned from these memories is that justice should be achieved by holding the perpetrators accountable and ensuring that necessary measures are in place so that such massive atrocities will not be committed again.
Therefore, the “Justice for Khojaly” International Awareness Campaign was launched in 2008 to pursue these goals and to campaign for the voices of victims, survivors and the whole Azerbaijani people to be heard. Since its inception, the campaign has garnered broad international support and we are thankful to those who invested their time and effort to advance its objectives.
At the same time we have a long way to go to reach our goals; therefore, I urge you to get involved in our activities and there are many ways you can support us, such as through petitioning to world leaders, volunteering for the campaign, organizing events, and donating funds.
We cannot and should not remain silent; we should act now to prove that no one is above the law and in no way should a culture of impunity prevail.
Sincerely,
Leyla Aliyeva
Initiator of the Justice for Khojaly Campaign