Historical background to the document "The speech of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Haydar Aliyev at the meeting with the families of the martyrs and some groups of the invalids (January 19, 1994)"


In the early hours of January 20, 1990, the Sovet Army committed a serious crime against the people risen for the sovereignty and democracy in Azerbaijan. As a result of the aggression of the Soviet troops 147 civilians were killed, over 370 got wounded, 321 went missing in Baku. Among the murdered were the representatives of 5 ethnicities, over 20
women and children.

On January 17, 1992, the National Council of the Supreme Soviet adopted a law on declaring the 20th of January “the Day of Martyrs’”. When Heydar Aliyev returned to power in 1993, the reasons and consequences of the events which took place on the 20th of January were investigated more precisely, and in 1994 the independent Republic of Azerbaijan issued full political and legal appreciation of the tragedy as a military aggression and crime.