The 18th anniversary of Maraga tragedy

Today is the 18th anniversary of the tragic events that took place in Maraga. The Maraga tragedy was the usual ring of a chain of ethnic cleansings and genocidal activities that Azerbaijan realized against the Armenians in Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh. The military aggression of Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh was accompanied with violations that are out of logic and imagination. But even on such a black background Maraga’s atrocities are separated.

Maraga was one of the largest settlements of Nagorno Karabakh. Was, because in 1992 on April 10 the Azerbaijani Omonians invaded the village, destroyed it, burnt it togather with the peaceful inhabitants; the other part of them was taken to unknown directions. Those who could survive hid themselves in the forests and leaving the place spread all over the world. However Maraga continues staying under the control of Azerbaijan.

http://www.armenians.com/genocide/Maraga/index.html
http://maragha.nk.am/photos/1992/3.jpg
http://maragha.nk.am/photos/1992/2.jpg

Maraga was the gate of Nagorno Karabakh on Gandzak – Stepanakert highway. The inhabitants of Maraga were traditional people, hospitable as any Armenian is. They loved nature, were cultivating mainly rice, they had fig and pomegranate orchards, gardens. Maraga has given birth to many scientists, musicians, writers. The village has been destroyed by the Turkish for two times in 1918 and 1921. After that the Armenians were more careful, but the nature of the Armenians is such that, they easily trust everybody.

From the very first days of Karabakh movement Maraga was endangered, it was in fire.

Here what Valya Khachikyan who survived the brutal atrocities of the Azeri tells: “In the evening of April 9, approximately at 6 the gun started, but we were used to it. They gunned from Alazan. My husband and I were in cellar where we were living for 3 years. On April 10, at 6 in the morning the active firing started, things were bombed every second minute. About 3000 bombs were thrown towards the village. We lived it until 14:00. Then we were told that the Azerbaijani invaded the village. Those who couldn’t leave the village, have been murdered brutally, burnt or kept hostage. But those who ran away survived another hell – bombs accompanying our way…”

Azerbaijani troops robbed the houses, but if there were things they couldn’t rob they burnt together with the house owners inside. The inhabitants have been brutally murdered – burnt, sawed up. According to different estimates 80-100 people were murdered in Maraga, including 30 women, about 40 Maraga residents were injured and 63 captivated. 9 children were also taken hostage. Many residents have been murdered while running away in front of the parents, children and relatives. Seven of those captivated were sent back, 17 were exchanged, one was found, one managed to escape the hostage, 8 were believed to be murdered, and the rest 29 are not found.

The governor of Maraga, former commander of self-defending squad Roma Karapetyan says the number of the victims would be bigger if the local self defending forces, being not armed properly, would not try to stop the Azeri troops’ entering the village. It is known the Azery had planned to conquer the village with a sudden attack, and if they succeeded hardly any inhabitant would stay alive, especially when the Azeri had more than 20 soviet armours with them. The guys of little squad of Maraga, unfortunately, died while defending the village in that unequal fight… Here what Baroness Caroline Cox tells:

“It is impossible to describe what we saw there. The village was completely destroyed. The people were burying the dead, rather to say any thing that was possible to bury, tortured, burnt alive, cut or sawed parts of bodies. A part of them was buried a day before, we took them out for taking them by camera, though we realized how hard it was for the Armenians. All the materials that were shot during those days comes to prove that there was a horrible massacres realized; there were beheaded, cut corpses, corpses of children, bloody land and parts of body which were sawed. We saw the bloody swords by which they had done all these brutalities. We probably had to take all those thinks with us as proves, but I couldn’t. After killing the inhabitants the Azeri had robbed and burnt the village.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuX-AK-168E

Both the Armenian and the independent media mention that though the Maraga massacres were vary brutal ones they have not been spoken about too much. According to Caroline Cox the English Daily Telegraph newspaper was to publish about Maraga massacres, but then refused.

By the way Shahin Talib ogli Tagiev, the commander of “Gurtulush” military squad, recived tha title of “Azerbaijani national hero” for realizing the Maraga carnage. He received it for genocide activities; it is a common Turkish- Azeri handwriting.

The witnesses describe very violent scenes which we do not find rational to quote them.

Unfortunately the international community hasn’t given its proper assessment to the traditional mass executions of the Azeri. While the Azeri, being unpunished till now continue lying, sometimes even putting the mask of victims. But however you try to falsify the history the truth of the facts cannot be concealed for a long time…

You can find additional information by the following links:

http://www.armenianhouse.org/mshakhnazaryan/docs-ru/crime/chapter8_10.html#9
http://maragha.nk.am/indexarm.html
http://www.hzorhayastan.do.am/news/2009-08-01-10