Hague commemorates victims of Khojaly genocide

In The Hague (Netherlands), a memorial to the victims of the bloody massacre of civilians in the Azerbaijani town by Armenian armed forces 34 years ago was held at Europe's only monument to the Khojaly genocide, Report informs.

The participants observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims.

Those attending the event laid wreaths and bouquets at the monument, and children from the Azerbaijani language Sunday school decorated a banner with flowers bearing the names of the children who perished that night.

Among the guests were Turkish Grand National Assembly member Samil Ayrim, the ambassadors of Azerbaijan and Türkiye to the Netherlands, Mammad Ahmadzada and Fatma Ceren Yazgan, Deputy Mayor of The Hague Saskia Bruines, representatives of the diaspora, and cultural societies of Azerbaijan and Türkiye in the Netherlands, among others.

In his speech, Ilhan Ashkin, Chairman of the Dutch-Azerbaijani-Turkish Cultural Society, noted that those gathered had come not simply to honor the memory of the innocent victims of the Khojaly massacre. "Today we have gathered together to stand vigil of conscience, once again feeling the pain of Khojaly in our hearts. We have not forgotten that night, because to forget is to kill a second time," he remarked.

According to Azerbaijani Ambassador Ahmadzada, the Khojaly tragedy is a "crime against humanity." He emphasized the importance of continuing efforts to achieve an international legal and political assessment of the Khojaly events and restore justice. Turkish Ambassador Yazgan stated that the pain of Khojaly is shared by all, and its memory lives on in the fraternal solidarity between Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

Deputy Mayor of The Hague Bruines and local community representative Bart ten Broek also spoke at the event.

Broek noted that "sharing this event here, in the center of Dutch society, is a significant initiative, as the Dutch proverb goes: 'A shared sorrow is half a sorrow.'"

He added: "We don't want this to happen again, and we must indeed ensure that it doesn't."

Finally, a speech was read by researcher and writer Henry van Rens, author of "Dark Clouds over Karabakh," who was unable to attend the event due to health reasons. "I came to Khojaly not to see a 'museum' of the past, but to sit in the homes of people who carry history in their souls," he said.

The short film "Khojaly's Icon" was then shown.