The March Massacre, as it is known in Azerbaijan informally, is marked as a remembrance of the genocide of Azerbaijanis at the hands of Armenian groups over a century ago.
Azerbaijan’s top human rights official issued a message ahead of March 31 – the Day of Genocide.
"It is one of the manifestations of Armenian vandalism committed against the whole of humanity. During these bloody events perpetrated in 1918, tens of thousands of peaceful Azerbaijanis were exterminated due to their ethnic identity being subjected to continuous genocide and the aggressive policy of Armenian nationalists. The people were burned alive in their homes by Armenian Bolshevik groups, along with murdering with special methods of torture and cruelty," Sabina Aliyeva, Azerbaijan’s Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a message released Thursday.
The late and third president of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, declared March 31 as the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis in 1998 to keep the memories of thousands alive.
"The genocide of Azerbaijanis had been committed with special brutality in Baku city, the cities and districts included in the governorate of Baku, as well as in Shamakhi, Guba districts, Karabakh, Zangazur, Nakhchivan, Lankaran and in our other various regions; The peaceful population had been murdered en masse, the villages had been burned, and our cultural monuments, gravesites, and mosques had been destroyed by cannon fire," Sabina Aliyeva said.
"During this genocide, which was committed by Armenian nationalists intentionally and in the most brutal ways, 110 villages in Shamakhi district, 167 villages in Guba district, over 150 in Karabakh, 115 in Zangazur, and 98 villages in Kars province had been destroyed, burned, and in general, more than tens of thousands of peaceful population, including women, children and the elderly had been killed on the ground of ethnicity and religious background.
"Some 199 villages had been destroyed in Iravan city, which is an ancestral land of Azerbaijan, and its surroundings and 132,000 Azerbaijanis had been killed," she added.
The crimes of genocide committed by Armenians were based on a lasting, centuries-old hatred against Azerbaijanis, discriminatory policies and completely unfounded territorial claims.
"Despite being subjected to genocides, our people, who are connected to their national and moral values, historical roots, land, and motherland, have preserved their national memory and identity. Moreover, as a result of solidarity, our independence has been restored," she said.
A string of disputes remain between two neighboring countries decades after the genocide. Most recently, Azerbaijan emerged victorious from a war over Karabakh.
"Armenia’s territorial claims to our country, and its policy of aggression, as well as war crimes committed against our people became more acute at the end of the 20th century, and 20% of the areas recognized as the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan at the international level remained under occupation for nearly 30 years. In 2020, those territories were liberated from occupation by our army, and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was restored. By grossly violating the norms and principles of international law, Armenia repeatedly committed crimes of genocide against the population, and our historical and religious monuments were destroyed, looted and desecrated," Aliyeva said.
She also denounced the international community for not acting against Armenia’s crimes.
"With regret, it should be noted that although there are sufficient proof and evidence about the acts of genocide committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis, there has not yet been an adequate response to these crimes against peace and humanity at the international level. I call on the world community and influential international organizations to recognize the crimes of ethnic cleansing and genocide committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis throughout history as genocide and to support the establishment of justice," Aliyeva said.