January 20, 1990, is both a tragic and sad page in the history of the Azerbaijani people, as well as a page of heroism and courage. Today, 35 years have passed since the events of January 20, 1990, which went down in the history of the Azerbaijani people as the Bloody January tragedy.
In order to suppress the national liberation movement in Azerbaijan by force, on the night of January 19-20, 1990, the former Soviet Army units committed a tragedy against the civilian population in Baku and other cities of the country. As a result, 150 civilians were killed, 744 people were seriously injured, 4 people were missing.
Immediately after the incident, on January 21, 1990, the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, made a statement condemning this bloody tragedy committed against the people of Azerbaijan at the Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan in Moscow and succeeded in breaking the information blockade and conveying the truth about the events to the world community.
It should be noted with pride that, the tragedy of January 20 had a decisive impact on the formation of the Azerbaijani national identity, became a turning point in the restoration of Azerbaijan’s state independence. The people of Azerbaijan have shown that they are loyal to their historical traditions of struggle. The sons of the homeland who gave their lives wrote a bright page in the heroic chronicle of the Azerbaijani people on that bloody day. On January 20, 1990, which, along with the tragedy, was engraved in the history of Azerbaijan as a day of national pride, the Azerbaijani people conveyed to the whole world that they deserve to live free, sovereign and independent.
At the special session of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held in February 1994, a legal and political assessment of the January 20 tragedy was made and a decision was made “On the tragic events committed in Baku on January 20, 1990”, and January 20 was declared the National Mourning Day.
Currently, the flag of Azerbaijan is waving in all sovereign territories of the country. a glorious era began in the history of modern Azerbaijan with the restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, and the souls of the sons of the Motherland who were martyred for the freedom, independence, and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan 35 years ago – during the bloody events of January 20, 1990 – were also in peace.
Azerbaijani people hold the memory of the martyrs of January 20 in high regard. Every year, on the day of the tragedy, mass pilgrimages are held, and the people of Azerbaijan visit the Alley of Martyrs to honor their memory with pride and gratitude.///Press-release of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Turkmenistan