Azerbaijan commemorates victims of Khojaly genocide - PHOTO REPORT

Baku. 19 February. REPORT.AZ/ Today, Azerbaijan is commemorating victims of Khojaly genocide.

Report informs, the Azerbaijani citizens are visiting 'Ana Harayı' (Mother's Cry) memorial erected to commemorate victims of the Khojaly tragedy.

The monument is visited by intelligentsia, public figures, school pupils, and ordinary citizens. They put flowers to the monument and read prayers to the souls of the tragedy victims.

On the night of February 25 to 26, 1992, Armenian forces, with the help of the former Soviet 366th Motor Rifle Regiment invaded Khojaly town, which was under blockade since October 1991. On the evening of February 25 constant gunfire began. 2,500 civilians remaining in the village left their territory with the hope to reach Aghdam. Armenians had started to shot the civilians. 

613 people fell victim to enemy fire. As a result of this tragedy, 613 Khojaly civilians were killed in which 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderly civilians are included. 8 families were completely annihilated. 130 children lost one of their parents, and another 25 lost both of them. 76 out of 487 people wounded by an enemy bullet were children. 1275 Khojaly residents were taken prisoner and 197 went missing. These people were brutally murdered, tortured and crippled only for their ethnicity - as they were Azerbaijanis.