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Mikhail Gorbachev avoided investigation: Azerbaijani deputy prosecutor general

20 January 2017 10:01 (UTC +04:00)

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, in contravention of articles â„– 119 and 71 of the constitutions of the USSR and Azerbaijan respectively, signed a decree declaring a state of emergency in Baku and deploying troops to the city, Rustam Usubov, First Deputy Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, told reporters on Friday, APA reported.

Usubov reminded that on the night of 19-20 January 1990, the Soviet troops, under the relevant decree, entered Baku from the direction of former “Nasosniy” settlement, former “Azizbeyov” metro station and Sumgayit city and committed mass crimes against the civilian population.

“As many as 132 people were killed, 612 were injured and 814 were illegally arrested after the Soviet troops entered Baku. Buildings and public property sustained heavy damage,” Usubov said, adding. “Despite the fact that there was a sufficient number of troops in Baku, an extra 66-member contingent consisting of servicemen and cadets of the USSR Defense Ministry and Interior Troops was deployed to the city. Reenlisted servicemen from Krasnodar region were also involved in the operation. Among them there were many Armenians.”

The deputy prosecutor noted that the power unit of Azerbaijani Television was exploded. “The [explosion] was an organized attack by the former head of the State Security Committee of Azerbaijan, Vagif Huseynov, and representatives who had come from Moscow,” he said.

“At that time, the criminal case was considered by the Russian Prosecutor’s Office. The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office started to consider the case on February 14, 1992 because of the former leadership’s mistake. It was too late. It was too hard to investigate the case after two years as certain evidences were eliminated. The re-conduct of interrogations was very difficult,” he said.

Usubov continued: “The investigation was carried out both in Baku and Moscow. Senior officials of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union, who had been sent to Baku in January 1990, were questioned. Gorbachev and Bakatin couldn’t be questioned.They fled. Girenko, Bobkov, Mikhailov, Yazov were questioned, but Gorbachev avoided the investigation. Materials of the 68-volume case were not sent to us in 1992. The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office is still awaiting the delivery of the materials of the 68-volume case. The investigation is underway. Once the case materials are considered, it will be possible to send them to court.”