Yesterday, Azerbaijani-Americans and their friends joined together in an annual rally in support of greater awareness, condemnation and proclamation regarding the Khojaly Massacre which occurred twenty-one years ago in a small town in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
Activists marched through the nation`s capital, Washington D.C., calling for justice to be brought to the perpetrators of this brutal war crime - at the time the largest crime against humanity in Europe - against innocent civilians. The weather in Washington was very cold with snow flurries - the same conditions as in Khojaly when the atrocities were committed.
In February of 1992, during a military raid by Armenia`s army on the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly, civilians, among which were Azerbaijanis, Meskheti (Ahiska) Turks, Kurds, and others, attempting to flee were savagely attacked, resulting in nearly 800 deaths, including women and children. While clearly in violation of international law, those responsible for the deaths and mutilations were never identified or brought to justice. "We come together today to commemorate the events that unfolded twenty-one years ago and to raise awareness of this tragedy so that war crimes like those at Khojaly are finally recognized and never happen again," said Adil Baguirov, co-founder and Board of Directors member of USAN, at the protest.
"We have been holding this protest rally every year for the past decade, proceeding from Dupont Circle, a popular area for all Washingtonians, to the embassy of the Republic of Armenia. Every year we see our ranks growing, and greater impact and attention achieved," said Bedir Memmedli, co-founder and Board of Directors member of USAN at the rally.
In addition to the gathering today, USAN began a petition on the White House website requesting the Obama Administration to issue a proclamation commemorating and recognizing the war crime of the Khojaly Massacre, and its victims. The petition has obtained a staggering 125,000 signatures in less than 30 days, making it the second biggest White House petition of all time.

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