Khojaly: The Worst Massacre in the Nagorno-Karabakh War and Azerbaijan’s Quest to Commemorate the Tragedy

Hamza Karčić,

Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 36(4), 2016, pp. 597-601.

During the Azerbaijani-Armenian war over Nagorno-Karabakh (1992–1994), one particular village was to emerge as the site of a major tragedy. As Azerbaijani and Armenian forces engaged in 1992 for control of territory in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian forces attacked Azerbaijani-held town of Shusha and Azerbaijani forces sought to keep Armenian-held Stepanakert under pressure. In late February 1992, Armenian forces attacked the village of Khojaly in an attempt to take control over a nearby airfield. Khojaly had been under a blockade for a few months and was only lightly defended. As the village was attacked and the Azerbaijani inhabitants fled Khojaly they were gunned down by Armenian forces. An official Azerbaijani investigation confirmed that 485 persons lost their lives in this attrocity which has since been termed as the single worst massacre in the Nagorno-Karabakh war.