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ARTICLE: BAKU CYNICALLY MISREPRESENTS FACTS ON KHOJALU
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/172095/Article_Baku_cynically_misrepresents_facts_on_Khoj alu
November 1, 2013 - 16:48 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - 30,000 people died in the Nagorno Karabakh war,
and one million were displaced from their homes, and many more
live with the ongoing effects of this unresolved conflict. Despite
this widespread human tragedy, the fate of those that lost their
lives during the events in and around Khojalu on February 26, 1992,
have gained a disproportionate amount of notoriety and publicity. 20
years later, the facts of what happened that night have been consumed
by the mythology and sensationalism propagated by the Azerbaijani
government, Russell Pollard, an English photojournalist and writer,
says in his article published on Artsakh.org.uk, the website he
founded 18 months ago.
"Throughout the many texts that report on the events in Khojalu the
only consistent piece of data, now, is the number of people who were
alleged to have been killed that night -" 613", although this number
has almost doubled since 1994. Khojalu was a strategic location, with
it being the site of the only airport in the original Nagorno-Karabakh
Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) as well as a military base from which attacks
were being launched onto Stepanakert; it was a key element in the
Azerbaijani blockade of the region, together with Aghdam, and Shushi.
The airport was home to the OMON (Special Purpose Mobile Unit -
Police/Army) of Azerbaijan who were notorious for their tactics
against Armenians," Mr. Pollard reminds.
"The Armenian plan was to neutralize the military hardware, seize the
airport, and occupy the city. To avoid unnecessary loss of life the
Armenians gave the people of Khojalu, and the authorities, notice of
this plan, in order that they could evacuate themselves. This was
confirmed in an interview between Chingiz Mustafayev (Azerbaijani
journalist) and Elman Mammadov (Head of the Khojalu Executive Board)
held in the following few months before Mustafayev's death in June
1992. So why weren't all of the population evacuated, leaving the
military to defend the city against the Armenians. One could surmise
that maintaining a "human shield" was a useful "military strategy",
particularly as the Meskhetian Turks were not "true" Azerbaijanis.
Ultimately it was convenient for the Azerbaijanis to "blur the lines"
between the military and the civilians. This was used to greater
effect on February 25/26th," he writes.
Presenting the story of the events, Mr. Pollard offers comments by
Eynulla Fatullayev, Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activist,
who stated in his book "Karabakh Diary" that:
"...~E for the sake of fairness I will admit that several years ago I
met some refugees from Khojaly, temporarily settled in Naftalan, who
openly confessed to me that, on the eve of the large-scale offensive
of the Russian and Armenian troops on Khojalu, the town had been
encircled [by those troops]. And even several days prior to the
attack, the Armenians had been continuously warning the population
about the planned operation through loudspeakers and suggesting that
the civilians abandon the town and escape from the encirclement
through a humanitarian corridor along the Karkar River. According
to the Khojalu refugees' own words, they had used this corridor and,
indeed, the Armenian soldiers positioned behind the corridor had not
opened fire on them...
Having crossed the area behind the Karkar River, the row of refugees
was separated and, for some reason, a group of [them] headed in
the direction of Nakhichevanik. It appears that the National Front
Army battalions were striving not for the liberation of the Khojalu
civilians but for more bloodshed on their way to overthrow A.
Mutalibov [the first President of Azerbaijan] ..."
The theory that everyone was killed in Khojalu puts all the blame on
the Armenians and is convenient. Knowing that people were deliberately
taken in the wrong direction, and died as a result, would be most
embarrassing for the Azerbaijani government, Mr. Pollard says.
"The facts of the 26th February 1992 are very complex and we are
unlikely, ever, to discover the absolute truth. It is clear that the
citizens of Khojalu died in different ways in a variety of locations
for many reasons and through the actions of all involved. The
concerted effort by the Azerbaijani government to contort the truth
and lay the blame, solely at the door of the Armenians is a cynical
misrepresentation of the facts and the act of securing "political
sympathy" from unsuspecting governments is one of gross deception.
This is only made more obscene by the way that this has been achieved
on the back of the unnecessary deaths of innocent people resulting
from the questionable conduct and incompetence of the Azerbaijani
authorities in 1992! I only hope that people now examine the facts
and make an informed independent judgment on this issue and stop
being fooled by the guile of the Azerbaijani government," he concludes.
Photo: artsakh.org.uk
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/172095/Article_Baku_cynically_misrepresents_facts_on_Khoj alu
November 1, 2013 - 16:48 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - 30,000 people died in the Nagorno Karabakh war,
and one million were displaced from their homes, and many more
live with the ongoing effects of this unresolved conflict. Despite
this widespread human tragedy, the fate of those that lost their
lives during the events in and around Khojalu on February 26, 1992,
have gained a disproportionate amount of notoriety and publicity. 20
years later, the facts of what happened that night have been consumed
by the mythology and sensationalism propagated by the Azerbaijani
government, Russell Pollard, an English photojournalist and writer,
says in his article published on Artsakh.org.uk, the website he
founded 18 months ago.
"Throughout the many texts that report on the events in Khojalu the
only consistent piece of data, now, is the number of people who were
alleged to have been killed that night -" 613", although this number
has almost doubled since 1994. Khojalu was a strategic location, with
it being the site of the only airport in the original Nagorno-Karabakh
Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) as well as a military base from which attacks
were being launched onto Stepanakert; it was a key element in the
Azerbaijani blockade of the region, together with Aghdam, and Shushi.
The airport was home to the OMON (Special Purpose Mobile Unit -
Police/Army) of Azerbaijan who were notorious for their tactics
against Armenians," Mr. Pollard reminds.
"The Armenian plan was to neutralize the military hardware, seize the
airport, and occupy the city. To avoid unnecessary loss of life the
Armenians gave the people of Khojalu, and the authorities, notice of
this plan, in order that they could evacuate themselves. This was
confirmed in an interview between Chingiz Mustafayev (Azerbaijani
journalist) and Elman Mammadov (Head of the Khojalu Executive Board)
held in the following few months before Mustafayev's death in June
1992. So why weren't all of the population evacuated, leaving the
military to defend the city against the Armenians. One could surmise
that maintaining a "human shield" was a useful "military strategy",
particularly as the Meskhetian Turks were not "true" Azerbaijanis.
Ultimately it was convenient for the Azerbaijanis to "blur the lines"
between the military and the civilians. This was used to greater
effect on February 25/26th," he writes.
Presenting the story of the events, Mr. Pollard offers comments by
Eynulla Fatullayev, Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activist,
who stated in his book "Karabakh Diary" that:
"...~E for the sake of fairness I will admit that several years ago I
met some refugees from Khojaly, temporarily settled in Naftalan, who
openly confessed to me that, on the eve of the large-scale offensive
of the Russian and Armenian troops on Khojalu, the town had been
encircled [by those troops]. And even several days prior to the
attack, the Armenians had been continuously warning the population
about the planned operation through loudspeakers and suggesting that
the civilians abandon the town and escape from the encirclement
through a humanitarian corridor along the Karkar River. According
to the Khojalu refugees' own words, they had used this corridor and,
indeed, the Armenian soldiers positioned behind the corridor had not
opened fire on them...
Having crossed the area behind the Karkar River, the row of refugees
was separated and, for some reason, a group of [them] headed in
the direction of Nakhichevanik. It appears that the National Front
Army battalions were striving not for the liberation of the Khojalu
civilians but for more bloodshed on their way to overthrow A.
Mutalibov [the first President of Azerbaijan] ..."
The theory that everyone was killed in Khojalu puts all the blame on
the Armenians and is convenient. Knowing that people were deliberately
taken in the wrong direction, and died as a result, would be most
embarrassing for the Azerbaijani government, Mr. Pollard says.
"The facts of the 26th February 1992 are very complex and we are
unlikely, ever, to discover the absolute truth. It is clear that the
citizens of Khojalu died in different ways in a variety of locations
for many reasons and through the actions of all involved. The
concerted effort by the Azerbaijani government to contort the truth
and lay the blame, solely at the door of the Armenians is a cynical
misrepresentation of the facts and the act of securing "political
sympathy" from unsuspecting governments is one of gross deception.
This is only made more obscene by the way that this has been achieved
on the back of the unnecessary deaths of innocent people resulting
from the questionable conduct and incompetence of the Azerbaijani
authorities in 1992! I only hope that people now examine the facts
and make an informed independent judgment on this issue and stop
being fooled by the guile of the Azerbaijani government," he concludes.
Photo: artsakh.org.uk