Remembering Khojaly
By The Bakersfield Californian
Twenty-one years ago, a horrible tragedy occurred which resulted in the murder and mutilation of hundreds of civilians. While fleeing the city of Khojaly, Azerbaijani civilians were attacked by Armenian forces, killing nearly 800 men, women and children. Those responsible for this massacre were never brought to justice. One of them is even the president of Armenia, who is seeking re-election.
The U.S. Azeris Network, on behalf of the Azerbaijani-American community, drafted a petition seeking a presidential proclamation to commemorate the anniversary of Khojaly. This petition has been circulating for several weeks and has obtained the necessary 100,000 signatures required by the White House. The petition became the second most popular petition of all time on the White House website. Recognition by the administration of this genocidal act and brutal affront on innocent civilians will be a step toward achieving justice for Khojaly. To read and sign the petition, visit http://obama.usazeris.org.
Orhan Pashayev
Bakersfield
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