[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 28, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN REMEMBRANCE OF BLACK JANUARY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ED PASTOR

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 28, 2014

  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
condolences to the people of Azerbaijan who, on January 20, remember 
``Black January.''
   On January 19, 1990, the Soviet Union declared a ``State of 
Emergency'' in Baku and other parts of Azerbaijan, in an attempt to 
suppress further movements towards independence. In the middle of the 
night and into January 20, some 26,000 Soviet troops moved into Baku 
brutalizing and randomly killing the civilian population as they 
proceeded. Over one hundred Azeris were killed and up to 800 were 
injured. This brutality, far from crushing the Azerbaijani spirit, 
steeled their resolve and on October 18, 1991, the Azerbaijan 
Parliament declared the country's independence, which it retains today.
   Azerbaijan had always shown a special desire to be independent. With 
the fall of the Russian Empire in 1918, Azerbaijan declared its 
independence and granted voting rights for women, a full year before 
American women were enfranchised. Today, Azerbaijan is the only former 
Russian Republic which does not have foreign troops stationed on its 
soil.
   I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the events of ``Black 
January'' and the Azeri determination that led to the independent 
Republic of Azerbaijan we know today.

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