VZCZCXRO7052
RR RUEHCD RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHMRE RUEHSR
DE RUEHKB #0342/01 0621356
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 031356Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9780
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNOSC/ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY COOPERATION IN EUROPE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000342 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CARC; EUR/SNEC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2016 
TAGS: PHUM KDEM PREL PGOV KCRM SOCI AM AJ
SUBJECT: KHOJALI TRAGEDY: PATRIOTISM, GRIEF, AND A PUSH 
TOWARD GENOCIDE PROSECUTION 14 YEARS LATER 
 
Classified By: DCM JASON HYLAND FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D. 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Azerbaijan's commemoration of the Khojali 
Massacre (a 1992 attack by Armenian forces that resulted in 
the death of a reported 613 civilians) contained a decidedly 
political message this year, with pointed outreach to the 
international community and a disturbing uptick in 
anti-Armenian rhetoric.  At events organized by the MFA and 
the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party, GOAJ officials called upon 
the international community to hold the Armenians responsible 
for "genocide" committed in Khojali and elsewhere.  The MFA 
also announced plans to prosecute 72 Armenians for genocide 
and asked for the international community's help in arresting 
those individuals through Interpol red notices.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Foreign Ministry kicked off the weekend's 
commemorations with a 90-minute briefing for the diplomatic 
community on February 24. During the briefing, officials from 
the MFA, parliament and military prosecutor's office outlined 
legal efforts to prosecute those responsible for the 
massacre.  With July 2005 amendments to the Azerbaijani 
criminal code that recognize the crime of genocide, the GOAJ 
has now opened a criminal case against 72 (presumably 
Armenian) individuals.  According to the Deputy Military 
Prosecutor, the GOAJ has requested that Interpol issue red 
notices for the 72.  GOAJ officials asked for the 
international community's help in bringing these individuals 
to justice, complaining that parliaments all over the world 
focused attention on the "unsubstantiated Armenian claims of 
genocide" while ignoring the atrocities and war crimes 
committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis over the last 200 
years.  The briefing closed with a screening of a short film 
on the massacre that contained repeated comparisons of 
Khojali to the Holocaust and anti-Armenian rhetoric that 
bordered on incitement. 
 
YAP ORGANIZES POLITICAL COMMEMORATION 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) At a commemoration held on February 25, the ruling 
Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP) managed to keep domestic politics 
largely out of the speeches.  Only one oblique reference was 
made to the fact that the government at the time (headed by 
Ayaz Mutallibov, now a minor opposition figure) bears some 
responsibility for the events.  YAP Secretary General Ali 
Akhmedov played master of ceremonies as the event began with 
a 15-minute video of the massacre, including showing the same 
clips of mangled corpses twice.  Speakers, who ranged from 
current MPs to IDPs from both Khojali and the occupied 
territories, criticized Armenians and criticized the 
international community for not recognizing the massacre and 
not doing more to solve the conflict.  Several speakers 
stated that these events "prove" the very nature of 
Armenians.  One individual went so far as to say it should 
not be called "Armenian fascism," but rather simply 
"Armenianism."  He and others went on to list atrocities 
committed by Armenians dating back 100 years.  Another 
speaker criticized the fact that the Ambassadors representing 
the Minsk Group Co-Chairs were not present.  Speakers urged 
those present not to forget the injustices done to the 
"peace-loving" and tolerant Azerbaijanis and to spread the 
word internationally about what has been done to them.  The 
Government also organized a public wreath-laying at the 
monument to the Khojali victims.  Given the nature of the 
speeches and the extensive news coverage of the event, one 
came away with the sense that the massacre had been used more 
to prove a political purpose (i.e. criticizing the 
international community and taking another opportunity to 
vilify Armenians) than to honor the memory of those who died. 
 
 
DIASPORA IS ENCOURAGED TO WORK HARDER 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) In addition to domestic events, the national press 
provided in-depth coverage of the way Azerbaijanis in 
different countries commemorated the event. Diaspora in 15 
countries organized protests to bring attention to the 
Khojali massacre.  The State Committee on Work with 
Azerbaijanis Abroad funded some of these activities.  Apart 
from GOAJ-supported diaspora organizations, Turks and 
Turkish- Azerbaijani communities demonstrated their 
solidarity and marched on the streets of European cities. 
 
TELEVISION COVERAGE PROMOTES PATRIOTISM 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Television coverage over the February 25-26 weekend 
focused heavily on the anniversary.  TV stations combined a 
 
BAKU 00000342  002 OF 002 
 
 
mix of gruesome footage and patriotic programming.  In 
contrast to previous years (when TV channels refrained from 
broadcasting any entertainment programs during the two-day 
commemoration), music programs with a patriotic touch were 
aired. Other programs concentrated on the heroism and bravery 
of Azerbaijanis during different battles in the history of 
the country.  Channels also showed two new movies about 
Khojali as well as several historic programs on Armenian 
attacks and occupation of Azerbaijani lands throughout the 
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  Political parties, civil 
society and youth organizations also organized this year to 
call for increased public awareness and to work more 
effectively to publish books, to produce movies, and by other 
means deliver a strong message to the international community. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶6. (C) Remembering Khojali has become a unifying event in 
Azerbaijan.  Described as one of the most tragic events in 
modern Azerbaijan's history, Khojali scenes are replayed year 
after year and published repeatedly to keep alive the cruelty 
and brutality of those events.  This year's events had a 
decidedly international element, with a pointed message to 
the international community that Azerbaijan had suffered 
injustices at the hands of the Armenians that must be 
addressed.  The uptick in anti-Armenian rhetoric, alleging 
centuries of genocide and vilifying Armenians as inherently 
cruel people, also is a new element to the commemorations. 
We are concerned that the weekend's events, particularly 
those sanctioned by the GOAJ, served only to widen the divide 
between Armenians and Azerbaijanis and make an eventual peace 
process that much more difficult. 
HARNISH