Rally to be held in Strasbourg in connection with Khojaly tragedy

The Centre of Cooperation of Azerbaijanis and other Turkic peoples (CCATP) jointly with Azerbaijani House in Strasbourg plans to hold a series of events dedicated to the 19th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy, and a rally within the campaign "Justice for Khojaly" on Feb.24-27, CCATP said.

A representative delegation of Azerbaijan, which will attend the event, will include CCATP chairman Ilham Ismayilov, Chief of sector on work with Diaspora of the Presidential Administration`s Department for Social and Political Affairs Gafar Aliyev, MP Fuad Muradov and a board member of the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh Community, eyewitness of the Khojaly tragedy Javid Aliyev.

Organizers appealed to law enforcement authorities of Strasbourg with a request to prevent any provocation of the Armenian side during the rally.

Last year, the Armenians attempted to break a rally dedicated to the 18th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy, held by CCATP jointly with the Azerbaijani House in Strasbourg. However, the law enforcement authorities prevented the incident and made Armenians to move away from the Kléber Square.

The Armenian military forces committed genocide in Khojaly on Feb. 26, 1992. More than 600 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old men. A total of 1,000 civilians were disabled during the genocide. Eight families were annihilated, 130 children lost one parent, and 25 lost both. Additionally, 1,275 peaceful residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.


/Trend/