Azerbaijan marks 20th anniversary of deployment of Soviet troops in Baku

20 years ago Soviet Army units occupied Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which resulted in numerous victims among the peaceful population. On January 20, the country has a mourning non-working day.

Every year on January 20, since early morning tens of thousands of people go to the Shahids' Alley to commemorate the casualties of those tragic days. The ceremony is attended by the country's leadership and members of the diplomatic corps. At midday the traffic is stopped in Baku, and ships in the Baku Bay give mourning hooters. Mosques of the country hold memorial sermons.

No special nationwide events are planned on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy. However, on the eve of the date, mourning actions took place in state organizations, educational and scientific institutions.

At night on January 20, 1990, the 35-thousand-strong army contingent entered Baku under the order of the then USSR leaders. The aim of the action was in Soviet leaders' strive to save the communistic regime in Azerbaijan and suppress the national-liberation movement. As a result of that punitive action of Soviet troops 134 peaceful residents were lost and over 700 wounded.