From: esuleym@uoft02.utoledo.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet,soc.culture.turkish
Subject: Tragedy in Baku
Date: 8 Jan 93 14:11:55 EST
Organization: University of Toledo, Computer Services

			The tragedy in Baku.
	The first month of the 1990 is called "Black January" in Azerbaijan.In
the night of the January,20th,Soviet Army using tanks and heavy artillery began
the military attack on the Baku.As a result of this operation more than 160
civilians were killed on the streets of their own city.There were women and
children,representatives of different nationalities among those who died.And
even after many days occupants couldn't find among victims anyone who was
armed.Later Yazov,former soviet minister of defense,said that army entered Baku
to support Soviet power,not to save the victims of provoked unrest.One week
Moscow,having at least 12000 soldiers in Baku was enjoyed violence,organized by
KGB and when situation became dangerous for dam soviet power used army to kill
innocent people.It was not a great surprise.Azerbaijan,which declared it's
sovereignity fourth in the former USSR, after Baltic states,had been an object
for Moscow's expierements for a long time.To prevent the development of the
democratic movement Martial Law was announced in Baku in 1988,the first time
since W.W.II.However, even under military rule demonstrations of hundreds
thousands people against authorities took place in Azerbaijan.In October 1989
demonstrants forced parliament to pass THE DECLARATION OF SOVEREIGNITY,to
abolish Martial Law and to register officially The Popular Front-the main
opposition power.But normal life didn't last long and in 1 a.m on
January,20th,in order to save corrupted and unpopular communist regime of
Vezirov Army attacked the capital of sovereign
Azerbaijan.Yazov,Primakov,Bakatin were in Baku that time.General Dubinyak,who
served in Afganistan and later in Moldova,was in charge of operation.Seven
years old Azeri boy Ilgar,16-years old Jewish girl Vera and doctor
Markhevka,who tried to save her,80-years old Russian blind Yefimichev and many
others were victims of crime of Soviet Empire.Baku was not the only place in
Azerbaijan attacked by Army:there were many of them it was real invasion.For
instance,Lenkoran,where Soviet Power was abolish a week earlier,was bombed and
also attacked by tanks.Reports prepared by international organizations showed a
lot of violations of human rights.TV was exploded by soldiers,people were
killed at homes,in hospitals etc,soldiers used the prohibited weapons,medical
personnel was shooted,civilians were arrested without explanations and tortured
 and others.The order to kill people just like it was in Alma-ata in 1986,in
Tbilisi in 1989,in Vilnius in 1991 was signed by Nobel Prize Peace laureate
Mikhail Gorbachev.
	Since that time Azerbaijan has seen much of grief,for example,when
hundreds of civilians were killed in Khojaly by armenian army and 336-th
regiment of Soviet army,but January,20th,was a decisive moment for Republic
when almost everybody understood that the only way was to build our own
independent democratic state.The collaps of Mutallibovs regime in 1992 and
victory of the democrats on first real election proved one more time that power
based on blood of it's own people will not survive.
	Remembering those days I want to thank everybody who was with us.Thank
to journalists,they were our greatest hope,to our friends in former
USSR,especially those in Kazakhstan,the great person-Olzhas Suleymenov,our
brothers in Lithuania,friends in Moscow,Human right's organizations such as
"Helsinki Watch",and all people who helped us in difficult time.People of
Azerbaijan will always remember the price of independence.
	We will remember not only tragedy in Baku, but also in
Vilnius,Tbilisi,Alma-ata,Moscow and other places.
	Our duty now is to stop the tragedy in Bosnia.I ask you to do
something!
          				  AMEN!
Elin Suleymanov.

Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet