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On January 13-19, 1990, the Azerbaijani authorities organized and carried out mass massacre of the Armenian population in Baku. About a quarter of a million of Armenians, on the ground of the national affiliation, were subjected to violence and deportation. Expert in Azerbaijan Anzhela Elibekova told Panorama.am Azerbaijan is not prone to recall the tragic events.

“The propaganda works in the following way; they mark January 20 as a tragic date when the Soviet tanks entered Baku to set order and prevent the massacres of the Armenian population. Azerbaijanis present it as an act of suppression of the nation’s aspirations to freedom,” Elibekova said. In her words, all of the facts and evidences of the Baku pogroms are well documented, however despite the Sumgait pogroms, the perpetrators were not brought to justice, enabling the Azerbaijani propaganda to completely distort the reality and blame Armenians and the Soviet KGB in the events which is a total absurd.
The expert reminded that over the past century three massacres (1905, 1918 and 1990) of Armenians were recorded in Baku. 

Asked about the measures Armenia should take in order to prevent from future massacres, Elibekova said: “It seems to be a complex task as we are unable to control the level of anti-Armenian histeria in Azerbaijan. What we can do maximum is to reach out to the international community and alarm about the situation where the anti-Armenian hysteria intensifies, murderers - the likes of Safarov and citizens posing with a severed head of a soldier (Kyaram Sloyan) are still glorified. Regretfully, I have no idea how we can influence developments inside the country.”

As to the possible pressure by the international community, Elibekova referred to the lack of mechanisms.

“When human rights are violated in the country, the freedom of press is suppressed there are European structures Azerbaijan members to apply to. There are number of human rights watchdogs and international media outlets periodically voicing concerns. In case with Armenophobia they, however, remain silent. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) launched proceedings over a case concerning the killings and the brutal torture of Armenian soldiers and civilians during the April war, which clearly states Armenophobia was the key motivation behind those crimes. Once the proceedings are over and the Court documents the fact of Armenophobia in its ruling we will gain a solid international legal assessment of the fact,” Elibekova explained.

A mass pogrom of Armenian population was committed in Baku from 13 to 19 January 1990 as a culmination of the genocide of the Armenians in Azerbaijan unfolded between 1988 and 1990. After the Sumgait pogroms (26-29 February 1988), persecutions, beatings, particularly cruel killings, public mockeries, pogroms of separate flats, seizure of property, forcible expulsions and illegal dismissals of Armenians started in Baku. Only some 35 or 40 thousand Armenians of the community of 250 thousand remained in Baku by January 1990; they were mainly disabled people, old and sick people and the relatives looking after them. The pogroms took an organised, targeted and mass nature since 13 January 1990. A large amount of evidence exists about the atrocities and killings committed with exceptional cruelty, including gang rapes, burnings of people alive, throwing people out of balconies of higher floors, dismemberments and beheadings.

The exact number of the victims of the genocide of the Armenians in Baku still remains unknown. According to different sources, between 150 and 400 people were murdered, and hundreds were left disabled. The pogroms went on for a week amid a total inaction of the authorities of Azerbaijan and the USSR, as well as the internal troops and the large Baku garrison of the Soviet Army. Those who managed to avoid death were forced into deportation. The Soviet troops were deployed to set order in Baku only on 20 January 1990.