By Ivan Gharibyan
On January 13, 1990, Baku is still the capital of Soviet Azerbaijan. The city is covered by massive anti-Armenian riots. The national fascist Popular Front of Azerbaijan (PFA) wants to seize the power. In fact the Front took it to the streets.
The leadership of the republic could not cope with a problem, namely “not to allow such developments”. In the evening mass pogroms of the Armenian population started in a city, which used to be tolerant mainly due to establishment and enforcement of Soviet power.
By this time, the Armenian population of the city dropped from 200,000 to 50,000. Armenians were destined to become victims of the brutal actions of criminals.
Popular Front of Azerbaijan was acting very “professionally”. Prior to the Armenian massacres, Soviet military units were completely blocked in the Salyan barracks, moreover, there were already victims among family members of the soldiers.
The Baku police was demoralized amid a complete blockade of all the central government buildings by Front’s supporters. The rioters also received “a wave of support” from corrupted leader of Azerbaijani Communist Party Heydar Aliyev and his clan.
The ghastly outcome of united efforts of nationalists-fascists and the Aliyev clan was more than disappointing: a week of medieval raids, burned homes, shops, chaos, murder and rape. According to official statistics, about 100 Armenians were brutally killed in their homes and in the central streets of the capital of Azerbaijan. The number of injured was not even counted.
Only the belated decision of the Presidium of USSR Supreme Soviet to declare state of emergency in Baku on January 19 allowed avoiding possible extermination of the entire Christian population of Baku city (at that time the pogroms spread on Russian population as well). The Soviet Army was able to restore order partially. Armenians had to leave the city losing all the property.
Twenty-two years passed, Baku is blooming under the millstone of Aliev clan’s authoritarian regime. Presently, Azerbaijanis themselves, residents of old Baku, are expelled from their homes without getting any compensation. Their houses will be replaced by luxurious hotels, huge trading centers.
The most important issue is not to remember former Armenian citizens of Baku. Instead, the local television boasts about “tolerant Azerbaijan” where “representatives of different nationalities always lived peacefully”. Among the ridiculous statement of Azerbaijani TV are “Erivan – capital of Western Azerbaijan”, “Armenians – aliens in the Caucasus” and others. Armenian pogroms “never existed”, these are “provocative anti-Azerbaijani speculations”, insist Azerbaijani officials.
It is wrong to build life based on constant lies. Doing so, you will finally have the problems, which brother-Turks have presently faced with. They have an aspiration to join the EU but are constantly reminded of Genocide of Armenians. It is better to acknowledge shameful and indelible chapters of history, as forgiveness exists. You would better remember simple human values instead of cultivating cynical lies. You should instead remember the values, which urged many Azerbaijanis to save their Armenian friends and neighbors 22 years ago.
