Baku, February 25, AZERTAC

Members of the European Parliament have adopted a statement to commemorate the innocent victims of the Khojaly genocide annually.

The statement reads: “The name Khojaly has become synonymous with those dark days in late February 1992 when civilian population of the town was brutally murdered. An attack in the early hours of February 26 claimed the lives of 613 civilians, including 106 women, 70 elderly and 63 children. The attack resulted in hundreds wounded and more than 1275 innocent people taken hostage. This is the worst atrocity on European soil since the end of the Second World War.”

It further says: “The lesson from Khojaly is that no society is invulnerable to prejudice, intolerance and hatred. Raising awareness is a prerequisite for lasting peace in the region and will help building a broader basis for reconciliation. Therefore, we have to take positive action to rebuild trust between communities.

We thus consider it important to remember the horrific events perpetrated in Khojaly to honor those lives lost and to ensure that such kind of crimes against humanity do not happen in any part of the world in the future.

We remember with a great sorrow the innocent victims of Khojaly Massacre, committed 27 years ago in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and express our compassion to their families. We stand with the members of families of victims, who senselessly lost their lives in Khojaly tragedy.

We, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament call all to honor and commemorate the Khojaly Massacre and initiate an annual Rememberance Day as a fitting memorial to the victims.”