Martyrs of the 20th January are remembered at the State Housing Development Agency19/01/2022

On 19 January 2022, an event of commemoration, dedicated to the 32nd anniversary of the 20th January tragedy, took place in the administrative building of the State Housing Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 

First, the unforgettable memory of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan was remembered by a minute of silence. 

Speaking at the event, chairperson of the State Housing Development Agency’s Board of Directors Sadiq Sadygov gave information about the tragedy of 20th January, noting that the crime against the people of Azerbaijan was indeed a terrible act of terror committed against humankind and humanism. Sadig Sadygov mentioned that the people of Azerbaijan, highly appreciating the self-sacrifice of its courageous sons, respectfully remember them each year. Along with being a National Mourning Day, the 20th January is remembered as a glorious page of our people’s struggle, a path leading to independence, and a day of national pride. 

The tragedy of 20th January was first given a political and legal assessment on a state level by National Leader Heydar Aliyev, naming the merciless killing of innocent people as military aggression and crime. “The Eternal Torch” monumental complex at the Alley of Martyrs was erected on the initiative of Heydar Aliyev, as respect for the memory of the martyrs. 

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has been paying close attention to issues concerning the eternalizing the memory of the 20th January martyrs, keeping their names high, as well as strengthening their families’ social protection.  An extensive plan of actions is developed each year, on a state level, and implemented, marking the anniversary of the massacre in all cities and districts of the republic. 

On January 20, the people of Azerbaijan, which had been subjected to military, political, and moral aggression by the Soviet regime, demonstrated to the whole world that it was loyal to its historical traditions of heroism. Having sacrificed their lives for the protection of law and justice in Azerbaijan, on the Bloody January, they wrote a brilliant page in the annals of heroism of our people. We once more bow our heads before the pioneers of our contemporary national struggle for freedom, before the heroism of our martyrs who have been an example in bringing up the young generation in the spirit of patriotism. May God rest their souls in peace.  

At the end of the event, a short documentary dedicated to the events of 20th January, made by Azerbaijan State Television, was demonstrated.