Azerbaijanis mark anniversary of riots with Soviet troops that killed
134

.c The Associated Press

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) – Thousands of Azerbaijanis laid flowers and
wreaths along a memorial in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, Thursday to
mark the 15th anniversary of clashes with Soviet Army troops that
resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people.

The Jan. 19-20, 1990, clashes were some of the most violent to occur
in the months surrounding the breakup of the Soviet Union.

President Ilham Aliyev was joined by other government ministers and
lawmakers in visiting Martyrs’ Alley, a memorial to those killed in
the fighting, which also left nearly 800 people injured.

The riots came amid ethnic clashes between Azerbaijanis and Armenians
and followed a vote in neighboring Armenia to effectively take control
of the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Amid spiraling violence, the
Soviet government imposed a state of emergency in Baku and deployed
some 11,000 troops to crack down on the protests.

Gudrat Gasanguliyev, a parliamentary lawmaker, said it was still
necessary to hold accountable those who ordered Soviet troops to
violently quell the unrest in 1990. Some Azerbaijanis have called for
former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to stand trial for the
deaths.

“Azerbaijan should find the courage to announce the guilt of Russia
in the events of January 20 and its participation in the occupation of
the territory of Azerbaijan,” Gasanguliyev said.

01/20/05 11:05 EST