INHABITANTS OF HOJALU DIED IN AGHDAM

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 6 2007

The Azeris themselves are guilty of the destruction of the inhabitants
of Hojalu, a political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazarian stated in
the course of a press conference held in Pastark Club on Tuesday.

Being an immediate participant of the operation on oppression of the
firing points in Hojalu, Levon Melik-Shahnazarian noted the Armenian
party had documentary materials testifying to real events that had
taken place in Hojalu in February, 1992. He stated Armenians were not
concerned with the murder of Hojalu’s peaceful population. According
to the political scientist, at that time the Armenian party did not
even have enough recourses to let the peaceful population go via a
" humanitarian corridor", start fighting against the Azeris’ armed
units and then organize the persecution of Hojalu women, children
and old men to kill them on the territory controlled by the Azeris,
after which, in two days, to return, risking their soldiers’ life, to
cripple the corpses. Moreover, as it is known, the Hojalu inhabitants
were killed in the suburbs of Aghdam, which was controlled by Azeris
till the summer of 1993.

Speaking of the Hojalu tragedy, a current anniversary of which was
celebrated February 26, the political scientist stated Azerbaijan did
its best to propagate its own version of Hojalu events, distorting
reality. In some countries Azeris held rallies, organized exhibitions,
demonstrated films devoted to the tragedy in Hojalu to convince the
world community that Armenians had committed "genocide against Azeris
in Hojalu".

The Azeri party’s main "argument", video survey made February 29
and March 2, 1992 by the operator Chingiz Fuad-oghly, absolutely
refutes the Azeri propaganda’s fabrications. As it may be seen,
Chingiz is walking by a filed dotted by corpses accompanied by
Azeris, which confirms that the territory was controlled by the Azeri
party. A supposition that Armenians seized the territories staking
their life to gibe at the corpses and then give way to the Azeri
operators is absurd. "Actually, we did not fight against corpses",
Levon Melik-Shahnazarian underscored.

The political scientist criticized Armenia’s passiveness in the issue,
noting the Armenian party, including state structures, mass media,
had ignored the date and had not reacted on the Azeris’ lie.

Levon Melik-Shahnazarian stated the Armenian party had video materials
and publications throwing light on the Hojalu events.

He also noted with regret that Armenia had actually ignored all the
memorable February dates referring to the beginning of the Karabagh
movement, pogroms in Askeran (February 22, 1988), in Soumgait and
Gandzak (February 26-29, 1988).