Independence Museum honors victims of Black January [PHOTO]

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan’s Independence Museum has hosted an event dedicated to the 27th anniversary of the Black January tragedy, Trend Life reported.

The participants first observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of the tragedy.

Entitled ‘Never forget the past!’ the exhibition featured 40 art works by students of the College of Arts of Azerbaijan State Academy of Arts and other artists.

 “We pay a great importance to the work aimed at attracting young people to our museum. Therefore, in organizing today's event, we have turned to the youth, whose artworks have been included in the exhibition dedicated to the  January 20tragedy,"  said Farida Shamsi, Director of the Museum.

Agali Ibrahimov, Secretary of Azerbaijani Artists' Union, a relative of martyr Alaskar Gaibova, Murguzlu Salmani and other participants shared memories of the tragic events, stressing that the victims of Black January will live forever in our hearts.

Further, Republican Children's Art Centre presented literary and art compositions devoted to the tragedy.

On January 20, 1990, hundreds of civilians were crushed or injured by the Soviet troops in Baku, on an order from the USSR leadership that was trying to maintain the Communist regime in Azerbaijan and strangle the national liberation movement.

The invasion was launched at midnight and was committed with brutality; even children, women and the elderly were not spared.

Some 137 people were killed, 611 were wounded, 841 were illegally arrested, and five went missing as a result of the intrusion of troops into Baku and other regions of the country.