The memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide was commemorated in the church in Rome
A joint event was held in the “Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Giuseppe a Via Nomentana” church in Rome, jointly organized by the Embassies of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Holy See and the Republic of Italy, as well as the Cultural Center in Rome, to commemorate the anniversary of the Khojaly genocide. Representatives of the diplomatic corps in the Holy See and Italy and the local community, as well as our compatriots living in Rome, participated in the event.
At the beginning of the event, the memory of the victims of the genocide was commemorated with a minute of silence.
Speaking at the event, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Italy Rashad Aslanov gave brief information about the location and population of the city of Khojaly and informed the participants of the event that a crime against humanity was committed on that terrible night, that 613 peaceful Azerbaijanis were killed in one night precisely because of their nationality.
In his speech, the Ambassador noted that the 2010 decision of the European Court of Human Rights noted that hundreds of Azerbaijani civilians were killed, injured or taken hostage while trying to escape during the occupation of Khojaly, and that the court defined these acts as “particularly serious, potentially amounting to war crimes or crimes against humanity.”
Noting that in 2008, the “Justice for Khojaly” international campaign initiated by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, has strengthened its awareness-raising efforts and brought the truth about Khojaly to the attention of the international community, the Ambassador emphasized that the memory of the Khojaly victims is a universal call to ensure that similar atrocities are not repeated.
Later, R. Aslanov noted that today, thanks to the efforts of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Caucasus has finally entered a new stage of peace, and that Azerbaijan has always worked not only to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also to lay the foundation for harmonious coexistence.
In the artistic part of the event, the Italian “UniMarconi” choir and the choir and orchestra of the “Costantina” music chapel performed classical works by world composers, including “Mourning Chamber” by the great Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev.
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