Karkijahan resident testifies about ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis by Armenians

The victim, Dargah Hagverdiyev, a resident of the Karkijahan settlement, who testified at the trial that continued on July 7 at the Baku Military Court, stated that since 1987, people of Armenian origin living in the city of Khankendi had been exerting pressure on the Azerbaijani population on the grounds of national discrimination, Olaylar informs.

Hagverdiyev emphasized that Robert Kocharyan (former President of Armenia) was active in those processes.

Hagverdiyev stated that after February 1988, Armenians began to openly expel Azerbaijanis, and in September of that year, private houses of Azerbaijanis living in the city of Khankendi were burned down. At that time, after a rally held by Armenians in the central square of the city of Khankendi, armed Armenians attacked the settlement of Karkijahan and burned down several houses.

The victim stated that starting in 1991, the settlement was shelled with the participation of servicemen of Armenian origin serving in the 366th motorized rifle regiment located in the city of Khankendi, using the weapons and equipment of that regiment. On December 28, the Armenians, who attacked the village, occupied Karkijahan. At that time, all the houses belonging to Azerbaijanis were burned down.

"Before the invasion, they made phone calls, saying, chr("39")Azerbaijanis must leave, Karabakh must be annexed to Armenia, only Armenians should live here.chr("39") But when they attacked, they shouted, chr("39")Azerbaijanis must leave, this is Armenian territory."

He added that during the occupation, the residents fled the village through the forest and could reach Shusha city with great difficulty. The population of Karkijahan settlement at the time of the occupation was 1,796 people. Before the occupation, there were 350 private residential houses, a secondary school building, etc. owned by Azerbaijanis in Karkijahan settlement.