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Russian experts: "Khojaly tragedy should be recognized as an act of genocide and those responsible should be punished"

27 February 2023 02:44 (UTC +04:00)

"The Russian Federation should make a legal assessment of the Khojaly tragedy, this crime should be considered as an act of genocide," said Russian experts who attended the commemoration event dedicated to the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow, APA's Russia bureau reports.

Igor Korotchenko: "Khojaly is a crime of genocide on the same level as Khatyn and Mỹ Lai"

The editor-in-chief of "Nasionalnaya Oborona" magazine, well-known military expert Igor Korotchenko called the Khojaly tragedy an incurable wound in the history of mankind: "This tragedy must never be forgotten. Khojaly is a genocide of the Azerbaijani people committed by Armenian armed forces and Armenian terrorists. This is a brutal crime. The brutal massacre of civilians in the villages of Khojaly, and Khatyn in Belarus, and Mỹ Lai in Vietnam is a terrible crime on par with genocide. During the Khojaly genocide, hundreds of women, old people, and children who attempted to flee the war zone were brutally murdered. That very atrocity was committed by Armenia's actual military forces at the time."

Russian military expert believes that today it is not enough to remember only the victims of the Khojaly tragedy:

"This crime should be officially recognized as an act of genocide. I personally supported the adoption of the resolution by the State Duma and I continue to support it today. This will allow the Russian court to search for, arrest, and bring to court the perpetrators of the Khojaly crime on Russian Federation territory, as well as provide a legal assessment of their activities. Here we are talking about Armenian politicians, soldiers, leaders of the armed units who ordered the massacre in Khojaly. Today, those persons continue to remain in the political scene of Armenia. Criminal prosecution should be initiated against them and they should be brought to justice.

On behalf of the expert society of Russia, I express my deepest condolences to the people of Azerbaijan. We remember the Khojaly tragedy and are standing by you with you. The ashes of Khojaly victims are in our hearts and we demand the punishment of Armenian war criminals," Korotchenko said.

Grigory Trofimchuk: "Azerbaijan will definitely achieve justice in Khojaly"

Grigory Trofimchuk, a Russian political scientist and a well-known political expert on the South Caucasus region, said that as an expert, a resident of a former united country and a representative of a people close to each other, he always remembers this important anniversary. "I believe that this is not only the Azerbaijani people's tragedy but also ours. The one who ensures justice will undoubtedly deliver it to its destination, and the aim will be achieved. I want to draw attention to the "Justice for Khojaly" marathon, which was implemented on the initiative of Azerbaijan. It's not vengeance or revenge on anyone. The distinction in meaning between these two nouns is clearly understood in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan demands justice. This goal will undoubtedly be met, in my opinion. Because a lot of work has been done as part of the "Justice for Khojaly" campaign. Justice must prevail. This is also our responsibility as Russians and everyone else who is friendly with Azerbaijan. It is also the duty of Azerbaijan's rivals. Because it relates to everyone. Thus justice will not triumph on a global scale as long as the citizens massacred in Khojaly are a burden on our shoulders. This, it seems to me, is precisely why the global problem of civilian killings is worsening. Because Khojaly is a source of massive black hatred in the post-Soviet and Eurasian areas. We Russians will take steps to ensure that justice prevails."

Sergey Markov: "Justice for Khojaly is also the return of Khojaly residents to their homes"

According to the director of the Russian Institute of Political Studies, well-known political scientist Sergey Markov, justice for Khojaly today is the punishment of those responsible: "I am sure that the justice for Khojaly is the return of the refugees from Karabakh and Khojaly to their native lands, and the restoration of full state power in these regions by Azerbaijan. As for the legal assessment of the Khojaly tragedy, this assessment was given primarily by Azerbaijan.This is the most important. About international organizations, you are aware that the Armenian lobby is quite strong across the world, and they are working hard not to assign a legal assessment to this tragedy. The Armenian diaspora has a strong influence in our country as well. I believe that Russia should do a legal assessment of this tragedy and classify it as genocide. Because what occurred in Khojaly was a deliberate, well-organized crime, a mass massacre of civilians with obvious political goals. All of these are elements of genocide".