The Union of Azerbaijani Women of the Netherlands, Ana Vatan and other operating diaspora organisations in the country have petitioned members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Dutch Parliament regarding with the 22th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy.
Khojaly genocide which was committed in 1992 is an example of ethnic cleansing carried out by Armenians against Azerbaijanis and Armenia has not been brought to account, the petition said.
The petition stress that genocide is a crime against the world and humanity in accordance with international law.
The fact that events in Khojaly were pre-planned and aimed at destroying people based on ethnicity, once again proves this crime as being an act of genocide.
The petition was also sent to the UN Secretary General and special representative on the status of children and armed conflict, OSCE members, the Council of Europe and other influential international organisations.
On February 25-26, 1992, Armenian occupation forces together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.
Some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. A total of 1000 civilians were disabled during the genocide. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostages, while the fate of 150 people remains unknown.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Trend.az