The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva, has issued a formal statement regarding March 31 - the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, calling for international legal recognition of the atrocities committed in 1918.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the statement emphasizes that at various stages of history, Azerbaijanis have been subjected to purposeful ethnic cleansing and genocide by Armenians, resulting in mass killings based on national and religious identity. The Ombudsman noted that since the beginning of the 20th century, systematic and brutal crimes were perpetrated against the Azerbaijani population both in various regions of Azerbaijan and in the territory of present-day Armenia.
The events of March-April 1918 are highlighted as one of the bloodiest manifestations of this policy. During this period, 110 villages in Shamakhi, over 150 in Garabagh, 115 in Zangazur, 98 in Kars, and 167 in the Guba district were destroyed and burned. The scale of the massacres is evidenced by the mass grave discovered in Guba, which contains the remains of numerous victims targeted solely for their ethnicity. The Ombudsman stressed that archival materials and witness testimonies prove these events were not accidental but part of a pre-planned policy of ethnic cleansing.
The statement further notes that despite the clear evidence of genocide under international law, the global community has yet to demonstrate a principled position. The process of gaining political and legal recognition for these events began following the decree "On the Genocide of Azerbaijanis" signed by National Leader Heydar Aliyev on March 26, 1998, which declared March 31 as a day of national mourning and remembrance.
The Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis serves as a reminder of the massacres committed by Bolshevik-Armenian dashnak forces in 1918, during which tens of thousands of civilians were killed across Baku and other regions. The recognition of such historical tragedies is considered vital by the Azerbaijani government to prevent the recurrence of crimes against humanity and to ensure regional peace and justice.
The statement has been formally dispatched to the UN Secretary-General, the UN Security Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and various international ombudsman institutions and national human rights organizations worldwide.
