They killed people so brutally that children’s eyes were gouged out, elderly men were beheaded, and women had their breasts cut off’ recounted Aliya Xanim, an eyewitness to the horrific Khojaly Massacre. She was only ten years old when she saw the atrocities unfold before her eyes.
The Khojaly Massacre remains one of the darkest chapters in the history of Azerbaijan and Armenia. On the freezing night of February 25-26, 1992, Armenian forces, backed by Russian troops, surrounded the town of Khojaly. What followed was a night of unimaginable horror – an indiscriminate massacre that left hundreds dead, thousands injured, and an entire community displaced.
Decades later, the pain of Khojaly still lingers, with victims still awaiting justice and recognition from the international community. In remembrance of their sacrifices and to ensure their suffering is not forgotten, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Islamabad held a photo exhibition on February 26 to honour the martyrs and survivors of the massacre. The event served as a solemn reminder of the tragedy, reinforcing the need to preserve the voices of the victims in historical memory.
Azerbaijan and Armenia, both former Soviet republics, declared their independence in the early 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on August 30, 1991, while Armenia declared independence on September 23, 1991. Since then, both states have remained locked in a bitter dispute, with tensions centred around the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Located in the South Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders but was occupied by Armenian forces following the First Karabakh War (1988-1994), leading to decades of hostilities and sporadic clashes. The war was marked not only by territorial battles but also by grave human suffering – none more harrowing than the massacre in Khojaly.
Yet, despite the brutality of that night, the international response has been one of deliberate neglect. This silence stands as a stark testament to the banality of evil, itself a chilling reminder of how indifference and inaction in the face of atrocity not only prolong suffering but also threaten to erase the memory of the victims. To advocate for justice for the forgotten victims of Khojaly, Heydar Aliyev, former president of Azerbaijan, established the ‘Justice for Khojaly’ initiative. Its mission is to give a voice to the voiceless, ensuring that the world recognizes their suffering and sacrifices. Forgetting the victims is one of the greatest injustices. The initiative has been successful in bringing the voices of Khojaly’s victims to the wider world, with nations such as Pakistan, Türkiye, Mexico, Colombia, and several U.S. states officially recognizing the massacre as an act of genocide or a crime against humanity.
Pakistan, as a brotherly nation, has stood unwaveringly with Azerbaijan in its rightful claim over Nagorno-Karabakh. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, acknowledging the resilience of the Azerbaijani people, noted with satisfaction that under the bold leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has liberated Karabakh – Azerbaijan’s rightful territory, as affirmed by multiple UNSC resolutions and international law; resolutions 822, 853, 874, and 884 all reinforce this claim, affirming Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and calling for the withdrawal of occupying forces from Nagorno-Karabakh.
The international community’s indifference to Khojaly is not due to a lack of evidence – which is far from lacking – but rather a consequence of the complex geopolitical dynamics surrounding the conflict. Armenia, having long enjoyed political and military backing from Russia and strategic support from Western nations, has successfully downplayed its role in the massacre. The Armenian side argues that Khojaly was a strategic military target during the war, claiming that Azerbaijani forces used the town as a base to shell Stepanakert – the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh – which had been under heavy bombardment for months, causing civilian casualties and destruction. They invoke disputed responsibility and moral equivalence to justify their actions. However, as Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim suggested to Anadolu Agency, the atrocities committed by Armenian forces were deeply rooted in the Dashnaksutyun ideology which is an expansionist nationalist doctrine that envisions a “Greater Armenia” at the expense of its neighbours.
The Khojaly genocide must be recognized by the international community, just as it has rightfully acknowledged the genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, and Srebrenica. But, it is yet to receive the same level recognition from Amnesty International, the UN and the EU. As the saying goes, justice delayed is justice denied. The Western media narrative often frames Nagorno-Karabakh as a mere territorial dispute rather than recognizing it as an ethnic cleansing campaign. This, in effect, fails to capture the full scale of suffering endured by the resilient Azerbaijani civilians.
Undeterred by the world’s wilful blindness to the atrocities committed during the First Karabakh War, Azerbaijanis remained resilient in the face of adversity, steadfast in amplifying the voices of the unheard – those silenced and cast aside. Meanwhile, the international community, which often acts where its interests lie rather than on the principles of justice and morality, largely turned a blind eye.In 2020, following the Second Karabakh War, Nagorno-Karabakh was once again restored to Azerbaijan – claimed not only by force but by right, as it had always rightfully belonged to them. But, there remains a long way ahead to make the international community realize and accept the atrocities that happened and unfolded on the night of 25-26 February 1992.
Sooth ’tis that truth may be buried, but it never dies. Furthermore, as Nizar Qabbani wrote, ‘Kill me, you may; but beware of my memory.’ Remembering the martyrs of a nation is the mark of a strong and resilient people. Those who made the ultimate sacrifice for a better tomorrow must never be forgotten.
