Today marks 36 years since the tragic and bloody events that began on the night of January 19-20.
In 1990, the leadership of the USSR, headed by Mikhail Gorbachev, violated international law by ordering the deployment of Soviet army units into the city of Baku and several regions of Azerbaijan. Using heavy military equipment and various types of weapons, Soviet troops opened fire on civilians, killing peaceful residents.
On January 19, as part of an operation organized by the Soviet authorities, the power supply unit of the republican television center was blown up. The aim was to prevent the public from receiving official information about the declaration of a state of emergency in Baku and the entry of troops into the city.
As a result of the illegal deployment of Soviet forces, 131 people were killed and 744 were injured in Baku and other cities and districts of the republic.
In addition, 841 people were arrested, 112 of whom were transferred to prisons in various cities of the Soviet Union. The Soviet forces also destroyed 200 houses and apartments, as well as 80 vehicles.
Only after the return to power of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev in 1993 was the tragedy of January 20 given a legal and political assessment for the first time, on March 29, 1994, at his initiative.
