"Russia, as successor of the Soviet Union, should apologize to Azerbaijani people"

If the Russian government now considers itself the successor of the former Soviet Union, it should officially apologize to the people of Azerbaijan for the 20 January tragedy, the chairman of the Umid Party, MP Iqbal Aghazadeh said.

"Law-enforcement authorities should re-examine the investigative materials related to the 20 January, the perpetrators of these events should be brought to the Hague Tribunal and must be punished," said Aghazadeh.

The Soviet Army commenced military operations against Azerbaijan early morning Jan. 20, 1990, before declaring a state of emergency. The tragedy claimed the lives of 131 people, including 117 Azerbaijanis, six Russians, three Jews and three Tatars. Some 744 people were severely injured. Four went missing and 400 were arrested. Twenty-one people were killed after a state of emergency was declared on Jan. 20. Twenty-six people were killed in the Neftchala and Lankaran regions.


/Trend/