His Excellency Mr. Rahman Mustafayev,

His Excellency Mr. Selchuk Unal!

Dear ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Henry van Rens.

As a retired teacher, author, and friend of Azerbaijanis, I want to talk to you about the Khojaly tragedy.

At this moment I am about to complete my book on the history of Karabakh and all the events that took place in this region, a book that deals, for example, with the history of Karabakh, the first and second Karabakh wars and the skirmishes and conflicts of previous years.

My book is also about the destruction of Karabakh and its inhabitants, but also the surrounding regions that were overrun by the Armenians and their terrorist gangs.

Today is also an important day for me.

On February 25, 2024, 32 years have passed since the brutal attack of the Armenian invaders on the city of Khojaly.

The Khojaly Genocide, which we also call the Khojaly Massacre, is also known as the day when peaceful Azerbaijanis were murdered on February 25 and 26, 1992 in the city of Khojaly.

Both the Azerbaijani side and other international organizations report that the massacre was committed with the help of Armenian armed groups, groups of terrorists, and the Russian 366th motorized rifle regiment.

Russian weapons and army are fully responsible for the occupation of Khojaly. The orders of the Russian army commanders and the participation of their army in the occupation of Khojaly, Malibeyli, Gushchular, and other areas of Garadaghly have been officially confirmed.

One of the atrocities committed during the Nagorno-Karabakh war was the Khojaly massacre. During the occupation of Karabakh and other areas of Azerbaijan, the population of Azerbaijan was subjected to ethnic cleansing, causing numerous human casualties and a large influx of refugees.

On that tragic night, about 2,500 residents of Khojaly tried to leave this place.

The city was destroyed with particular cruelty, and its inhabitants were persecuted and murdered.

In the eyes of the aggressors, there was no longer any standard of common sense.

The brutal destruction of hundreds of innocent residents of Khojaly was one of the most serious crimes during the armed massacre that took place in and around the Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Armed Armenian forces, terrorist organizations, and foreign military units spared virtually no one and killed those who could not escape from Khojaly and the surrounding areas.

Khojaly was defended under difficult circumstances. With the support of Russian troops, Armenian bandits besieged Khojaly. When they created an open corridor for civilians, it later turned out to be a trap. Innocent people, young and old, who tried to escape through this “free passage” became victims of bloodshed.

So on February 25 and 26, 1992, Armenians murdered the entire population of Khojaly and destroyed the city. Several countries have called for the Khojaly massacre to be recognized as part of the “genocide committed by the Armenians and their accomplices against the Azerbaijani population.”

As a result, 613 people died

106 women,

63 children,

70 years old,

1,275 residents were taken hostage, their fate is still unknown.

The fate of 155 people is still unknown.

Among them, 487 residents of Khojaly were seriously injured

76 children,

8 families were completely murdered,

26 children, both parents,

130 children lost one of their parents.

The cruel enemy burned the inhabitants of Khojaly alive, beheaded them or cut off their heads, gouged out their eyes with teaspoons, pierced the bellies of pregnant women with bayonets, and killed 56 people with particular brutality.

1,500 female hostages were taken from Khojaly and surrounding villages and towns. Most of them have been released. 450 women remained hostages. Unofficially it was reported that in 2020, 286 women were alive. However, no information is yet known about these women. No information is known about the fate of seventy young Azerbaijani girls and women taken hostage by units of the Armenian and Russian armies, including seventy teenagers.

Armenian officials deny responsibility for the crimes committed during the conflict, including against the people of Khojaly, falsified the facts, and shared not only factual but also illogical interpretations.

Sometimes, when I am in Azerbaijan, I find it necessary to isolate myself and sit in one place to listen to the voice of the wind that tells me what happened in Khojaly during the Armenian aggression, killings, torture, and occupation of Armenians.

I think if one listens carefully, one can hear the cries of the people of Khojaly and other villages and towns displaced by the enemy under terrible conditions.

Not only the dead and missing residents of cities and villages but also the physically and mentally injured and their families continue to suffer from these inhuman tortures and traumas.

What bothers me is that the Dutch government has done little or nothing about the genocide, which is difficult for the Armenians and their unorganized gangs. Why are these massacres and ethnic cleansing not officially recognized?

At the end of the short war in September 2023, much stronger talk than the “expulsion” of Armenian residents from Karabakh was spoken by members of the Dutch parliament. Every day, newspapers and television talked about the genocide that was being leveled against Karabakh Armenians forced to flee Azerbaijan.

Where was the Dutch government when ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population took place in the years 1905-1920, 1948-1953, and 1988-1992?

The news presented by newspapers and other news media was complete nonsense. The government of Azerbaijan has offered the Armenians to stay in Karabakh. Logically, the Karabakh Armenians must adapt to the wishes, laws, and rights of Azerbaijan.

The false news spread by the Armenian representatives about the retaliatory attacks from the Azerbaijani side caused many people to flee to Armenia. The Azerbaijani side offered all kinds of assistance to the departing Armenians, such as food, water, and medical aid.

This was very different from when the Khojaly people were forced to flee without food and clothing. Often without shoes or warm clothing in hellish cold and through strong flowing rivers, or over the Murov pass. They were killed and tortured without mercy when they ended up in captivity. The Armenian sadists had not met anyone with pity in this harsh cold.

Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again. Karabakh is free and belongs to Azerbaijan again.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention.

Thank you, dear friends.

Long live Khojaly, long live Karabakh, long live Azerbaijan!

Sağ olun, xanımlar və cənablar,

Təşəkkür edirəm, əziz dostlar.

Yaşasın Xocalı, yaşasın Qarabağ, yaşasın Azərbaycan!