Türkiye's Haber Global television channel has aired a special report dedicated to the 20 January tragedy in Azerbaijan. According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the report highlights that 36 years have passed since the events of January 20, emphasizing that this day remains a solemn day of mourning for the brotherly nation of Azerbaijan.
The report details how, on January 20, 1990, peaceful civilians took to the streets of Baku to block the advance of Soviet tanks, using their bodies as shields to defend their dignity and freedom. As a result of the subsequent military assault, 147 people were martyred. The material notes that the January 20 resistance served as a turning point in Azerbaijan's path toward independence and is regarded as one of the key events that accelerated the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The broadcast further emphasized that the Azerbaijani people faced Soviet tanks unarmed in their struggle for the motherland. It was noted that tank units, which included Armenian servicemen, acted with extreme brutality against the civilian population as they entered Baku and committed massacres in the streets. Despite the violence, the people did not bow to oppression, resisting until their last breath. The report also pointed out that the Moscow leadership continued the violence throughout that night, resulting in the deaths of women and children, and even opening fire on medical personnel attempting to assist the wounded.
The events of January 20, often referred to as "Black January," are commemorated annually in Azerbaijan as a symbol of national unity and sacrifice. Following the massacre, National Leader Heydar Aliyev visited the Azerbaijani representation in Moscow, where he held a press conference to strongly condemn the Soviet leadership's bloody operation against the Azerbaijani people. This act of bravery marked the first political assessment of the tragedy and laid the foundation for the restoration of Azerbaijan's state independence in 1991.
