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Representatives of Yahad â€“ In Unum, leading research organization investigating â€œThe Holocaust by Bulletsâ€ visit Azerbaijan

23 February 2012 09:09 (UTC +04:00)

Yahadâ€“In Unum is the leading research organization investigating the mass executions of 1.5 million Jews and Roma/Gypsy people in Eastern Europe between 1941 and 1944. This is sometimes referred to as â€œThe Holocaust by Bulletsâ€. The team of Yahad â€“ In Unum travels from village to village, where they interview and film the surviving eyewitnesses, using testimony of witnesses to discover the locations of the graves. Up to now, more than 2000 interviews have been filmed. Researchers, journalists, education workers and the families wishing to find traces of their relatives can obtain these microfilms at the main office of Yahad â€“ In Unum. Established in 2004, Yahad â€“ In Unum has located a lot of mass graves in more than 600 cities of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Poland.

The aim of the visit to Azerbaijan is to study deeply the Jewish Holocaust committed in the World war II and the Khojaly tragedy of the Azerbaijani people late in the 20th century, do scientific research regarding the Jewsâ€™ escaping the massacre by moving to Azerbaijan, to study jointly Azerbaijanâ€™s support for the struggle against fascism in the World War II and inform the world community about it.

President of Yahad â€“ In Unum Father Patrick Desbois and his colleagues, executive director of the organization Marco Gonzalez and researcher of Sorbonne University Andrey Umanski visited Azerbaijani educational institutions, including Khazar University, Baku Slavic University, Baku State University, delivered lectures on the World War II, its consequences and lessons, Azerbaijanâ€™s contributions to the victory in the war.

The guests also met with director of History Institute of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, correspondent member of the academy Yagub Mahmudov and director of Azerbaijan National Archive Department Atakhan Pashayev.

The guests also participated in the photo exhibition of the French photographer Frederique Lengaigne at the Museum Center organized by The European Azerbaijan Society on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Khojaly genocide.

The guests discussed with The European Azerbaijan Society and History Institute the main points of the international symposium on the consequences and lessons of the World War II that will be held in October, 2012.

The delegation of Yahad â€“ In Unum will pay 15 research visits in 2012, each of the visits will last for two weeks, 40-50 witnesses will be interviewed during each visit.

Press conference on the outcomes of the visit of Yahad â€“ In Unumâ€™s delegation to Azerbaijan will be held at 18.00 at the Gafgaz Point hotel (Yasamal district, K. Kazimzadeh street, 118, Tel: 510 78 78).