BAKU: Azerbaijan on Monday observed National Mourning Day, marking the 36th anniversary of the January 20 tragedy, when Soviet forces carried out a deadly crackdown on civilians during the national liberation movement in 1990.
On the night of January 19-20, 1990, units of the former USSR’s army and internal troops entered Baku, Sumgayit, Lankaran, and Neftchala in an attempt to suppress growing public demands for independence and territorial integrity. According to official figures, 150 civilians were killed, 744 seriously injured, and four people went missing during the operation, which targeted unarmed residents, including women, children, and the elderly.
The events, widely regarded in Azerbaijan as a grave violation of international law and a crime against humanity, followed years of discriminatory policies by Soviet authorities and rising tensions fueled by fabricated provocations and the mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from the territory of present-day Armenia in the late 1980s.
Despite efforts by Soviet authorities at the time to suppress information about the tragedy, the issue was brought to international attention by National Leader Heydar Aliyev shortly after the events. Following the restoration of Azerbaijan’s independence, the tragedy received a formal political and legal assessment. In March 1994, the Milli Majlis (Parliament) adopted a resolution titled “On the tragic events committed in Baku on 20 January 1990.”
While intended to crush the national resistance, January 20 is remembered as a turning point in Azerbaijan’s struggle for independence and is seen as one of the events that accelerated the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union.
Officials and citizens across the country paid tribute to the martyrs, noting that the unity and determination forged during those difficult years laid the foundation for later milestones, including the 44-day Patriotic War, which restored Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, and the counter-terror measures of September 19–20, 2023, which ensured the complete restoration of the country’s sovereignty.
On the anniversary, Azerbaijan solemnly honored those who lost their lives in the tragedy and expressed solidarity with citizens who suffered long-term health consequences as a result of the events.
Long Live Azerbaijan.
