March 31 – Day of Remembrance of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis
World
Today marks 97 years since the tragic events of March 30 – April 2, 1918, when tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis were brutally killed in Baku and other regions. In memory of the victims, the Day of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis is observed annually, accompanied by events and ceremonies around the world.
On the night of March 30, 1918, in Baku, Armenian Dashnaks, with the support of the Bolsheviks, carried out mass killings of the peaceful Azerbaijani population. In the capital alone, about 20,000 people, including women, children, and the elderly, were killed. The Tezepir Mosque, the Ismailiye building, and many places of worship were burned, and property worth 400 million manats was confiscated.
The genocide also affected other regions: in 53 villages of the Shamakhi district, more than 8,000 people died; in 162 villages of Guba, over 16,000; thousands of villages were burned in Lankaran, Mugan, and Nagorno-Karabakh. To preserve historical memory, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic established an Extraordinary Investigation Commission, which collected documents on the mass killings and presented them to the government.
March 31 was officially established as the Day of Remembrance of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis. During the Soviet period, these events were silenced, but after independence, research was conducted, and books and materials about the 1918 tragedy were published. On March 26, 1998, President Heydar Aliyev signed the decree "On the Genocide of Azerbaijanis."
Today, events in honor of the victims will take place in Azerbaijan and abroad, including commemorative ceremonies, conferences, and public memory activities.
The genocide also affected other regions: in 53 villages of the Shamakhi district, more than 8,000 people died; in 162 villages of Guba, over 16,000; thousands of villages were burned in Lankaran, Mugan, and Nagorno-Karabakh. To preserve historical memory, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic established an Extraordinary Investigation Commission, which collected documents on the mass killings and presented them to the government.
March 31 was officially established as the Day of Remembrance of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis. During the Soviet period, these events were silenced, but after independence, research was conducted, and books and materials about the 1918 tragedy were published. On March 26, 1998, President Heydar Aliyev signed the decree "On the Genocide of Azerbaijanis."
Today, events in honor of the victims will take place in Azerbaijan and abroad, including commemorative ceremonies, conferences, and public memory activities.
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