20 January 1990: Black Face of the Red Terror in Azerbaijan

The Soviet aggression against Azerbaijan during 70 years came to the end with the bloody tragedy on January 20, 1990. Late at that night 26,000 Soviet Special Forces called "Alfa", without declaring state of emergency, entered to Baku and committed ferocity action against innocent Azerbaijani people. The invasion was launched at the midnight and committed with brutality and no mercy for children, women and elderly.

Helsinki Human Rights Watch has addressed how the Soviet brutal army intentionally crashed unarmed peaceful civilians under their tanks. According to its reports, "among the most heinous violations of human rights during the Baku incursions were the numerous attacks on medical personnel, ambulances and even hospitals". As a result of illegal entering of troops into Baku city and regions of the republic 133 men were killed, 611 men - wounded, 841 men illegally arrested and 5 missing. Among the victims was seven year-old boy, sixteen year-old girl, eighty years-old man, a young doctor shot in ambulance while helping another victim, and many other innocent civilians. The soldiers sacked and burnt 200 houses and apartments, 80 automobiles, including ambulance cars, the state and personal property at the result of punitive measures carried out with unprecedented brutality. The bloodiest acts of state terrorism and crime were carried out by the Soviet regime against Azerbaijani people on January 20. This massacre has been, from that time on, mentioned as the "Black January".

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