Azerbaijan denounces Armenians on anniversary of Khojaly tragedy

SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Yonhap) -- Marking the 17th anniversary of the so-called "Khojaly tragedy" on Thursday, the embassy of Azerbaijan in Seoul issued a statement condemning Armenian nationalists for their mass killing of Azerbaijani people in 1992.

A series of commemorative events devoted to the anniversary were held in
Azerbaijan and other parts of the world this week, according to the embassy.
"On Feb. 26, 1992, Armenian armed groups supported by military personnel
completely ruined the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly, killing 613 Azerbaijani
people, including 106 women and 83 children. As a result of the genocide, 1,275
innocent people were also taken as hostages, with the fate of over 150 still
remaining unknown," the embassy said in the statement.
"The Khojaly tragedy became a follow-up and bloody page of the policy of ethnic
cleansing and genocide pursued by the Armenian nationalists and their patrons
against Azerbaijani people over almost two hundred years... Such severe crimes
against humanity (should) not be repeated in the future," it noted.
The statement asserted that the organizers of the Khojaly genocide must face
justice, referring to the Azerbaijani government's ongoing move to petition the
International Criminal Court in the Hague to punish the executors.
(END)