Black January in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan marks the day of mourning. Many roads have been closed and vehicle traffic has been banned in the city center. Crowds of people traditionally bring red cloves to the Alley of Honor (public cemetery and memorial in Baku) on this day.

27 years have passed since the Soviet troops’ crackdown on the peaceful Baku residents, aimed to suppress the opposition’s organized riot and regain Moscow leadership’s control over the republic. Since that time, a new generation has grown up, who know about the 90s only what their parents and teachers told them.

We’ve asked young people to tell what happed on January 20, 1990.