One of the most terrible massacre, violence against humanity committed in the twentieth century is the tragedy of 20 January that is engraved in the mind of our nation. This action affected the future destiny of Azerbaijan, strengthened people’s liberation movement, influenced on restoration of independence.

These thoughts were presented during the ceremony dedicated to the twenty-eighth anniversary of tragedy of 20 January at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the 17^th of January. The Chairman of the Constitutional Court Farhad Abdullayev, judges and staff members attended the ceremony.

The ceremony began with a minute of silence in honour of the victims.

In his speech at the ceremony the Chairman of the Constitutional Court Farhad Abdullayev said that the tragedy of 20 January was an important turning point in the history of independent Azerbaijan, a beginning of the road to independence. He noticed that after the order of the President of the former USSR Mikhail Gorbachev a state emergency was declared, after that on the night from the 19^th to the 20^th of January leaders of empire by entering military forces into the city made unprecedented massacre against the nation of Azerbaijan, seriously violated the right to life, rules of international law, several articles of the Constitution of USSR and international agreements on human rights. In order to drown the people’s liberation movement in blood, the Soviet regime used armed aggression against our country, carried out massacres of innocent people, this night a lot of civilians were murdered, hundreds of people was injured and missing. State and private property was damaged. 

It was noticed that the son of Azerbaijan nation, national leader Heydar Aliyev, who did not leave the nation alone in this difficult time, made a statement at Azerbaijan"s Permanent Representative Office in Moscow on the 21^st of January where he strongly condemned the act of terrorism.  Despite the danger for life of genius person and members of his family, he gave with great courage a political assessment of the tragedy of 20 January, showed that crimes committed due to fault and betrayal of that time period’s leaders of the USSR and the Republic were against the law, democracy and humanity.   

It was noticed that following the return to the power of the National Leader in 1993 important steps have been taken to investigate the causes of tragedy and to prosecute perpetrators. It was great leader Heydar Aliyev’s initiative that the legal and political assessment was given to the tragedy of 20 January, in March 1994 Milli Majlis adopted a decree about that. According to this decree, events of 20 January are seen as an armed aggression and a crime against the nation of Azerbaijan.

While noting that Great Leader provided for victims’ families and disabled persons a state care the chairman said that the President Ilham Aliyev successfully continuing the National Leader’s policy, has as one of the important tasks a solving of problems of victims’ family and disabled persons at the state level. According to the Decree of the Leader of the State, families of the victims of 20 January have a presidential pension and continued assistance. A lot of memorial sites were created to commemorate the memory of victims.

The staff of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan visited the memorial site of 20 January created in 2010 by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Yasamal district of Baku and commemorated victims. Flowers from the Constitutional Court were laid before the memorial site.

Representatives of the Executive power of Yasamal district also attended this event.