"About 200 victims of Khojaly tragedy buried near Askeran fortress" - Azerbaijan SGB
Victims of the Khojaly tragedy
The Azerbaijani State Security Service reported the arrest of another suspect in the Khojaly massacre of 26 February 1992. The suspect, Rashid Beglaryan, stated that about 200 residents of the village were shot in the vicinity of the Askeran fortress, where they were laterburied.
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“Rashid Aramaisi Beglaryan, suspected of committing torture against Azerbaijani captives held in the children’s hospital number 3 in the city of Khankendi, war crimes, participation in the activities of illegal armed groups, was charged under Articles 112, 113, 115.2, 279.1 318.1 of the Criminal Code of the AR, and arrested. The persons who were tortured by the mentioned person were identified, they were recognised as victims in the criminal case,” the report circulated by the SGB of Azerbaijan says.
It is noted that Beglaryan confessed to participation in the Khojaly massacre:
“During interrogation, the accused Rashid Beglaryan said that on 25 February 1992, the Armenian armed forces and illegal Armenian armed formations acting under their subordination from the town of Khankendi attacked the densely populated town of Khojaly.
According to him, in accordance with a prearranged plan, false promises were made to the surviving peaceful Azerbaijanis that they could safely pass through the Askeran district in the direction of the Agdam district. On 26 February 1992, these armed groups, of which Beglaryan was a member, ambushed almost 200 civilians, most of them women, children and elderly, who were moving along the Gargarchay River in the direction of the Agdam district, and shot them with automatic weapons with the aim of mass extermination of Azerbaijanis near the Askeran fortress.
After the personal belongings of the victims were looted by the members of the criminal group, their bodies were buried in the vicinity of Askeran fortress.
During the investigative actions Rashid Beglaryan gave detailed information about this, clearly indicating the places of committing criminal acts against the civilian population.”
According to official data of the Azerbaijani authorities, 613 people were killed (including those who froze to death on the way), including 63 children, 106 women, 70 old people.
Eight families were completely wiped out.
487 people, including 76 children, were wounded, 150 people were missing, 1,275 people were taken hostage, and 5,379 people were expelled from their places of permanent residence.
Of the captives, the fate of 150 people, including 68 women and 26 children, is still unknown.
In early November 2023, the State Security Service of Azerbaijan reported the detention of Madat Babayan, who during the investigation pointed to the places of mass graves of victims of the Khojaly tragedy in the territory of Gozlukörpu village of Kelbajar district.
