One of the biggest provocations of the Soviet empire against Azerbaijan was the attempt to annex Karabakh to Armenia at the end of the 20th century. Our people demonstrated unity against this ugly plan, resolutely stood up with the demand for independence, did not hesitate to do anything and raised the voice of truth. In response to this, the totalitarian regime in 1990, on the night of January 19-20, used weapons to the civilian population. As a result, 147 people were killed, 744 were injured, 841 were illegally arrested, 200 houses and apartments, 80 cars, including ambulances, state property and personal property were destroyed. Property damage was caused to state, public and private property at prices for that period in the amount of 5,637,286 rubles. The day after the tragedy, on January 21, our great leader Heydar Aliyev came to the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan in Moscow and said that he was with the people. He gave a political assessment to the tragedy of January 20, declared that it was contrary to law, democracy, humanism, and was a political mistake due to the betrayal of the center and the leaders of the Republic at that time. He expressed his condolences to our people in connection with the tragedy, held a press conference and called the representatives of the authorities and the military who contributed to the terrorist attack in Baku as criminals and their actions against the civilian population as historical crimes. The text of this historical speech, despite the Kremlin's policy of a sharp information blockade, spread throughout the world, including in Azerbaijan, and caused a wide response. The unity of the people overcame the weapon, and this is one of the most important moments characterizing January 20.
