COMPACT DISC ON SLAUGHTER IN THE VILLAGE OF MARAGHA RELEASED

A1+
[06:32 pm] 11 April, 2007

Presentation of CD, containing video and photo sources, archive
documents, publications and evidence of eye-witnesses of mass slaughter
of civilian population of the village of Maragha, NKR Martakert region,
by Azerbaijani armed units, took place in the Artsakh State University.

The disk was released upon the initiative of the Karabakhi journalist
Narine Aghabalian in "The Milky Way" studio and was timed to the 15th
anniversary of the tragic events in Maragha. The archive documents
in Armenian, Russian and English were provided by the NKR MFA,
"The Fund against Legal Despotism" and the others.

While opening the presentation, which was attended by representatives
of authorities, community, and the republic’s journalists, Chairman
of the NKR National Assembly Standing Commission on Foreign Relations
Vahram Atanesian noted that Maragha had not been a weapon emplacement
and had not constituted a menace to the Azerbaijani side, but the
mass crimes had been committed toward civilian citizens.

"Maragha became one of the most monstrous demonstrations of the
Azerbaijani authorities anti-Armenian policy", – the deputy emphasized.

By comparing different lists it was established that 81 civilian
citizens, 67 people were seized hostages in Maragha. The fate of many
of them remains unknown till now.

At the presentation NKR National Assembly Chairman Ashot Ghoulian
stressed that the slaughter in Maragha corresponded to genocide
according to all parameters.

"The eyes of witnesses of the tragedy in Maragha express the same as
the eyes of the people who went through the genocide of 1915. Maragha
continues to present day", – the Speaker noted.

According to him, there are no positive changes today in Azerbaijan’s
policy toward Armenians.

By the depth of human tragedy, degree of cruelty, number of people, who
were exposed to violence and were seized hostages, the tragic events
in the Karabakhi village Maragha take special place in the chronicle
of the Karabakh national and liberation movement, and it is necessary
to bring to the notice of the world community the truth about them –
such an idea was run all in the course of the CD’s presentation.