All you need to know about Black January
- Maria Jagodzińska
- 17 sty 2022
- 3 minut(y) czytania
Zaktualizowano: 12 sie 2023
Introduction
In January 1990 the collapse of the USSR was visible and easy to predict. One day in Baku people decided to express their views by demonstrating in a peaceful way. It was a result of their awareness about what was going on in NKAO (Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast`). The price they paid was higher than everybody could have expected...
Source: https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/azerbaijanis-pays-homage-to-black-january-victims-2020-1-19-1/
Situation in 1990
1990 was a tough year for Azerbaijanis, who had to struggle with supreme court of Armenia, which has decided to annex NKAO to Armenian SSR`s territory. Karabakh separatists tended to attack soldiers more often, the clashes became more amd more intensive. Moreover, Azerbaijani civillians outside NKAO had to face another threat – Armenian terrorist attacks, which took lives and health of many people.
The demonstration, source: https://www.commonspace.eu/news/azerbaijan-marks-27th-anniversary-black-january
Collapse of the “evil empire” as R. Reagan described USSR meant instability and unpredictability of the nearest future. Let me remind, that the biggest part of oil extraction of the USSR came from the Apsheron peninsula and losing such a free source of richness was absolutely not a dream of rulers in Moscow.
Why Azerbaijanis do not like Gorbachev?
At night 19-20th January, Soviet troops entered Azerbaijan, cutting off the TV and radio, so people could not know what is happening. The one who ordered Red Army to enter Baku and let it massacre innocent people, was Mikhail Gorbachev. Civillians were trying to block army, so it could not enter the capital - Baku, and the answer was gunfire, also from heavy armoured vehicles.
"Gorbachev, your hands are in blood of my nation", source: https://en.topwar.ru/166928-chernyj-janvar-30-let-kto-vinovat-v-gibeli-bakincev-v-rezultate-vvoda-sovetskih-vojsk.html
"Intervention" of Soviet army was one of the bloodiest episodes in modern history of Baku and Azerbaijan. Soviet soldiers tended to use guns and heavy weapons even against doctors and nurses, trying to save lives of the demonstrants. Accompanied by mass arrest, entrance of Red Army took lives of many innocent people, not only in Baku, but also for example in southern parts like Lenkaran and Neftcala.
Results & remembrance
In total, Soviets killed 147 Azerbaijanis, 744 people were injured and about 400 detained by the Red Army. After the massacre, Soviets declared a state of emergency, despite which people went out of their homes to bury those who have died. Nearly a million of people accompanied the funeral, during which the bodies of the victims have been held on shoulders from Freedom Square to Dagustu Park.
Funeral, source: https://www.reddit.com/r/azerbaijan/comments/lesfx2/1990s_baku_azerbaijan_a_funeral_ceremony_of_the/
Nowadays, in Dagustu Park there is an Alley of Martyrs, ended with an eternal fire. This place is a cemetery of victims of Black January. I have been there many times and each one made me stop for a long moment, look at depictions of those, who were killed, their dates of birth and every time there appeared the same date of death. I am glad that 20th January is a national holiday and each anniversary is celebrated in a proper way.
20th January is not only a sad anniversary, a day of sorrow. For Azerbaijanis it is also a day of pride, when the politics made a turnover to Turkey, what has defined foreign policy of Baku for the next decades. It was a bloody lesson and a proof for those, who had pro-Russian attitude, that this way is completely wrong. Last, but not least – that was the key point of regaining independence after 70 years of Soviet rule.
Infographics, source: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/azerbaijans-black-january-pain-fresh-after-3-decades/1708483
Sources
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