Residents of Azerbaijan commemorate victims of massacre in Khojaly

On the eve of the 28th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy, during the assault of which over 600 people perished, mourning events were held in Azerbaijan and abroad.

Baku residents commemorate Khojaly casualties near the memorial complex "Mother's Call". Mourning events to pay tribute to the casualties will be held in the country's mosques, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan.

The events in Khojaly became one of the monstrous crimes against humanity committed in the 20th century, said Tofig Dadashev, an expert at the NGO "Journalists in Extreme Conditions". In his opinion, a new conflict could flare up at any moment, since the "status quo" is very fragile.

The Khojaly residents who managed to survive in the tragedy shared their memories of those days. According to Djeiran Azizova, since the fall of 1991, the town was in complete blockade. "In just one night, I lost 68 relatives," she said.

The assault of Khojaly began after intense shelling, Sakhib Imani has recalled.

"They shot indiscriminately – the elderly, women and babies. My father, a brother, and three relatives were killed there. Of the few, I was lucky to break through to Agdam," he said.