On 18 January 2019, the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan commemorated the 29th anniversary of the tragic events of 20 January 1990. The memorial ceremony was participated by the leadership and staff of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, and parliament members.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the participants held a minute of silence to pay tribute to heroes that sacrificed their lives for the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Then, Samir Nuriyev, Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, made the opening speech followed by Malahat Ibragimgizi, PM and Chairwoman of Nasimi branch of the New Azerbaijan Party, and Ganira Pashayeva, Member of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

29 years have passed since the events portraying the outstanding heroism of the Azerbaijani nation. 147 people died, and over 700 people sustained permanent injuries and maiming as a result of the shooting by the Soviet troops at innocent civilians on the night of 19 and 20th of January, 1990.

At the time, it was crucial to provide the international community with truthful information on the events of January the 20th, 1990, and the crimes committed against the Azerbaijani nation. After the tragedy of Black January, it was the courageous steps taken by the nation-wide leader Heydar Aliyev that led to the prevention of the Soviet leadership’s attempts to hide the real essence of those events from the global community. Immediately after the tragedy, the Salient Leader Heydar Aliyev exhibited an enormous dedication by visiting Azerbaijan’s permanent mission to Moscow together with his family members to make a statement concerning the inadmissibility of such actions. He acutely objected to the aggression against peaceful civilians and condemned the organizers of this murder in front of the entire international community. Later, the nation-wide leader Heydar Aliyev, at his initiative, actively participated in providing the tragic events with proper legal and political assessment, thus ensuring the recognition of the brutal murder of people as the military aggression and crime by the international community.

Since Heydar Aliyev’s return to power in 1993 and until now, our country holds a very high-level commemoration of the Bloody January tragedy. Every year, a special series of national events is carried out based on the order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev. For 29 years, our fellow-countrymen living in Azerbaijan or other countries of the world with great honor and respect commemorate this tragic, bloody and heroic symbol of 20 January.

The great leader surrounded the victim families with state care. As a significant part of the state policy, the social protection of the victims and people injured during the tragedy of 20 January 1990 is continuously reviewed by the head of the state.

The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev has assigned the competent state bodies with a priority task of ensuring resolution of practical problems encountered by the war veterans, families of martyrs, and disabled soldiers. Large-scale projects are implemented in this area in our country. The welfare of the families of martyrs and disabled war veterans is improved year by year.

Having become a symbol of national unity and patriotism, the tragedy of 20 January entered history as our nation's glorious struggle for its independence. On that night, Soviet troops committed the bloody killing and mass murder of civilian population which had filled the streets and squares of Baku in protest of the events transpiring in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, thus turning the 20th of January into a firm symbol of the Azerbaijani nation’s choice for freedom.

The 20th of January went down in history as a day of sorrow and glory. As time goes by and people of the young generations familiarize themselves with facts about those events, they feel proud of Azerbaijan’s history of independence and their glorious past, and respectfully recall heroes that came out against the powerful army of the great empire known for its hostile actions against humanity.

Despite all the pressure and tragedies experienced by our nation, no power could destroy its statehood traditions and aspirations for freedom. Having established its independence, Azerbaijan launched the process of rapid development, thus becoming one of the advanced regional countries. The pioneers that chose the way of struggle for the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan and sacrificed their lives to become martyrs were our compatriots. We bow our heads to their sacrifice and heroism, and ask Allah for His mercy on all our martyrs!

After the ceremony’s conclusion, the Public Television displayed a movie titled “The Road of Trials in Time” dedicated to the 20 January events.