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Azerbaijan commemorates 26th anniversary of January 20 tragedy

19 January 2016 21:01 (UTC +04:00)

January 20 was declared in Azerbaijan a Nationwide Mourning Day.

Every year on this day, Azerbaijani citizens, government officials and representatives of diplomatic corps visit the Alley of Martyrs where the victims of the January 20 tragedy were buried.

According to the 2016 plan of action prepared by the Interior Ministry, from 8.00am until the end of the commemoration ceremony, traffic along the intersection of Mikayil Mushfig street with Huseyn Javid Avenue, intersection of Mikayil Mushfig Circle with the Matbuat Avenue, Mehdi Huseyn street – from the building of Teletheatre, intersection of Izzat Nabiyev Str. with Abbasgulu Abbaszada Str., that is behind of the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament) toward the Parliament Avenue will be restricted in order to ensure safety of those visiting the Alley of Martyrs. Drivers are asked to use alternative roads. Baku police will work in enhanced mode on January 20.

On that day, Azerbaijani embassies, diplomatic missions and communities in foreign countries organize different events to attract the attention of the world community to the Bloody January tragedy.

Memory of the victims is commemorated with a minute of silence at 12.00 Baku time on January 20 and ships, cars and trains signal. The national flags are lowered in Azerbaijan as a sign of mourning.

The entrance of the Soviet Army into Baku on the night of January 19 to 20, 1990 resulted in tragedy in Azerbaijan. 137 people were killed, 744 wounded and 841 were illegally arrested.

In 1994, the Azerbaijani parliament passed special decision on the January 20 tragedy.