[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 25, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN COMMEMORATION OF THE KHOJALY TRAGEDY

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 25, 2014

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the 
attention of my colleagues the tragedy that took place in Khojaly, 
Azerbaijan 22 years ago today, February 25, 1992. That evening, scores 
of lives of innocent Azerbaijanis living in Khojaly were lost and many 
others were wounded or taken hostage when their city was brutally 
attacked.
  With a population of 7,000, Khojaly was one of the three largest 
urban settlements of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. 
Nagarno-Karabakh is recognized by the United States and the United 
Nations as Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenia.
  At the time, the Khojaly tragedy was widely covered by the 
international media, including the Boston Globe, Washington Post, New 
York Times, Financial Times, and many other European and Russian news 
agencies.
  Over two decades later, there is still too little attention or 
interest paid to the plight of Khojaly outside of Azerbaijan.
  According to Human Rights Watch and other international observers the 
massacre was committed by Armenian troops, reportedly with the help of 
the former Soviet 366th Motor Rifle Regiment. Human Rights Watch 
described the Khojaly Massacre as ``the largest massacre to date in the 
conflict'' over Nagorno-Karabakh. In a 1993 report, they stated ``there 
are no exact figures for the number of Azeri civilians killed because 
Karabakh Armenian forces gained control of the area after the 
massacre'' and ``while it is widely accepted that 200 Azeris were 
murdered, as many as 500-1,000 may have died.''
  Soon after the attack, Time Magazine published the following report 
on the Khojaly Massacre: ``While the details are disputed, this much is 
plain: something grim and unconscionable happened in the Azerbaijani 
town of Khojaly two weeks ago. So far, some 200 dead Azerbaijanis, many 
of them mutilated, have been transported out of the town tucked inside 
the Armenian-dominated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh for burial in 
neighboring Azerbaijan. The total number of dead--the Azerbaijanis 
claim 1,324 civilians were slaughtered, most of them women and 
children--is unknown.''
  Azerbaijan has been a strong strategic partner and friend of the 
United States. The tragedy of Khojaly was a crime against humanity and 
I urge my colleagues to join me in standing with the people of 
Azerbaijan as they commemorate this tragedy and urge world leaders to 
help bring a peaceful solution to the occupation of these lands.

                          ____________________