Black January

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Black January
Azerbaijani: Qara Yanvar
Part of Azerbaijani national independence movement
Date January 19–20, 1990
Location Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
Result Invasion of Baku and massacre of civilians
Belligerents
Popular Front of Azerbaijan  Azerbaijan SSR
Strength
26,000 troops
Casualties and losses
133-137 civilians killed
More than 800 injured

Black January (Azerbaijani: Qara Yanvar), also known as Black Saturday or the January Massacre was a violent crackdown of the Azerbaijani independence movement in Baku on January 19–20, 1990, pursuant to a state of emergency during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

In the resolution of January 22, 1990 the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR declared that the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 19, used to impose emergency rule in Baku and military deployment, constituted an act of aggression.[1] Black January is seen as the rebirth of the Azerbaijan Republic. It remains one of the few occasions during the Glasnost and Perestroika era in which the USSR used force against dissidents.

Contents

[edit] Events

Victims of Black January.

In December 1989, Azerbaijanis living in regions bordering Iran ripped down border fences, demanding closer ties with ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Iran. The local authorities in Jalilabad surrendered to rioters turning over the administration to Popular Front of Azerbaijan. This was followed by a non-violent turnover of the Lankaran administration to the Popular Front two weeks later.[2] On January 9, 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR voted to include Nagorno-Karabakh in its budget and allowed its inhabitants vote in Armenian elections thus disregarding Soviet authority and Azerbaijani jurisdiction and causing rage throughout Azerbaijan.[3] This led to demonstrations which demanded the ousting of Azerbaijani communist officials and called for independence from the Soviet Union. Their rhetoric was, according to a Human Rights Watch report, "heavily anti-Armenian".[4] On January 12, the Popular Front organized a national defense committee with branches in factories and offices in Baku to mobilize people for battle with Armenians.[2]

Beginning on January 13, 1990, a repetition of the pogroms of Sumgait was carried out in Baku against Armenians. The initial mass demonstration to oust Armenians from their homes turned violent after the reports of an Azeri man being murdered with an axe by Armenian defending his family reached the crowd.[3] Armenians were thrown to their deaths from the balconies of upper-story apartments. Around 90 Armenians were murdered in the pogroms. The Popular Front of Azerbaijan claimed that the pogroms were the result of "Armenian aggression." [5] The Popular Front instigated the attacks and local authorities did nothing to stop the violence. These attacks were mainly done by young Azerbaijani refugees from Armenia.[2] Baku's 300,000 Armenians hastily escaped.[6]

Local Azerbaijan authorities were unable to restore order because of internal quarreling and divisions that paralyzed their ability to act.[7] Azerbaijan authorities also ordered the 12,000 strong Interior Ministry troops to abstain from intervening in the Baku riots[8] and numerous Soviet army and fleet units of Baku garrison and Caspian Flotilla did not intervene to stop riots, claiming that they had no orders from Moscow authorities.[2] On January 15, the authorities declared states of emergency in other parts of Azerbaijan (but not in Baku), and the pogrom activity began to subside. At the same time, fearing an intervention of the central Soviet authorities, Popular Front activists began a blockade of military barracks.[4] They had already taken de facto control in a number of Azerbaijani regions.[4] On January 18, the Popular Front ordered supporters to barricade the main access routes into Baku using hundreds of cars, trucks and buses. The next day, Soviet authorities evacuated its representatives and local officials moving them to military command posts in the outskirts of the city where Soviet Minister of Defense, Dmitry Yazov and Interior Minister Vadim Bakatin were positioned.[2]

Late at night on January 19, 1990, after blowing up of the central television station and terminating of phone and radio lines by Soviet special forces, 26,000 Soviet troops entered Baku smashing through the barricades in order to crush the Popular Front.[3] As claimed by Mikhail Gorbachev, gunmen of the Azerbaijani National Front opened fire on the soldiers[9]; however, findings of Moscow based non-governmental organization Shield found no evidence of "armed combatants of Azerbaijani Popular Front", which had been used as a motive to crush the civilian population on January 20.[10] The indepedent Shield organization which consists of group of lawyers and officers in reserve, observing human rights violations in the army and its military operations[11], concluded that the army waged a war on its civilians and demanded to start a criminal investigation against the Minister of Defense, Dmitry Yazov who had personally led the operation.[12] The Azerbaijani Interior Ministry officials had helped Popular Front activists in stirring disorder by providing with weapons, technical facilities, and informing them about the movement of army units.[13] In the course of the storming, the troops attacked the protesters, firing in the crowds. The shooting continued for three days. They acted pursuant to a state of emergency, which continued on for more than 4 months afterwards, declared by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, signed by President Gorbachev. The state of emergency was, however, disclosed to the Azerbaijani public only several hours[4] after the beginning of the offensive, when many citizens already laid dead or wounded in the streets, hospitals and morgues of Baku.

Almost the whole population of Baku turned out to bury the dead on the third day - January 22.[3] For another 40 days, the country stayed away from work in a sign of mourning and mass protest.[4]

[edit] Death toll

According to one report, 93 Azerbaijanis and 29 Soviet soldiers were killed in the street skirmishes. Other reports state that 21 soldiers were killed and 90 wounded in the fighting.[14][15] However, how the soldiers died is still disputed. The soldiers' death toll was claimed by Soviet authorities to have resulted from armed resistance, although some of the soldiers could have been victims of friendly fire.[12]

Other estimates indicate that between 133[16] and 137[17] civilians died with unofficial number reaching 300.[18] Up to 800 were injured and 5 went missing.[19] An additional 26 people were killed in Neftchala and Lankaran regions of the country.[20]

[edit] State of Emergency

President Gorbachev and other officials asserted that it was necessary to stop pogroms and violence against the Armenian population and to thwart efforts by extremists to overthrow the Azerbaijani government. The government's decree said: "Extremist groups are organizing mass disorders fanning national enmity. They are committing bold criminal acts, mining roads and bridges, shelling settlements, taking hostages." [21]

Defense Minister Yazov also said that nationalists were plotting a coup d'état in Azerbaijan: "A meeting was planned at which it was proposed to declare the transfer of power into the hands of the People's Front." He noted how the "Popular Front" declared its own state of emergency in Baku before the action was taken and how Soviet state organs "ceased to control the situation."[22][23][24][25]

[edit] News coverage

Azerbaijani stamp with photos of Black January

During the Black January crackdown, Soviet authorities managed to suppress all efforts to disseminate news from Azerbaijan to the local population and the international community. On the eve of the Soviet military invasion in Baku, one of leaders of Popular Front, Ekhtibar Mamedov proposed to Kremlin officials to appear on Azerbaijani TV at 8 PM announcing First Secretary of Azerbaijani Communist Party, Abdurrahman Vazirov would be leaving and no troops would invade Baku which would restore the order.[2] Instead, an energy supply source to Azerbaijani TV and State Radio was blown up by intelligence officers at 7:15 PM in order to cut off the population from any source of information. TV and radio was silent and all print media was banned.[19] But Mirza Khazar and his staff at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty succeeded in broadcasting daily reports from Baku,[26] making it the only source of news to Azerbaijanis within and outside of the country for several days. The Kremlin leadership tried hard to keep the outside world and the population inside Azerbaijan unaware of the military invasion, but Mirza Khazar and his staff foiled this attempt. Thanks to Mirza Khazar and his staff at Radio Liberty, Azerbaijanis in and outside Azerbaijan, as well as the international community, learned about the Soviet invasion and gained a chance to organize protest actions. Shocked by this "surprising" development, the government of the USSR complained officially to the United States about Radio Liberty's[27] coverage of the military invasion of Azerbaijan. The January 20, 1990, broadcasts turned Mirza Khazar into a legend among Azerbaijanis in and outside Azerbaijan. Malahat Aghajanqizi, a well-known Azerbaijani poetess and writer, described Mirza Khazar's appearance on radio at the time of the Soviet military invasion as follows: "On January 20, Mirza Khazar with his God-given divine voice, gave hope to the dying Azerbaijani people."[28]

[edit] Assessment

A special session of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR was held on January 22, 1990 at the request of the public and by initiative of a group of MPs. It tried to initially assess the January 20 events and adopted some documents condemning the crackdown operation by Soviet army.

The Memorial Society and Helsinki Watch reported in May 1991 that they had found compelling evidence that the imposition of the state of emergency had led to an unwarranted breach of civil liberties and that Soviet troops had used unjustified force resulting in many deaths.[29] This includes the usage of armoured vehicles, bayonets and firing on clearly marked ambulances.[29]

The Human Rights Watch report entitled "Black January in Azerbaijan" states: "Indeed, the violence used by the Soviet Army on the night of January 19–20 was so out of proportion to the resistance offered by Azerbaijanis as to constitute an exercise in collective punishment. Since Soviet officials have stated publicly that the purpose of the intervention of Soviet troops was to prevent the ouster of the Communist-dominated government of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the nationalist-minded, noncommunist opposition, the punishment inflicted on Baku by Soviet soldiers may have been intended as a warning to nationalists, not only in Azerbaijan, but in the other Republics of the Soviet Union."

"The subsequent events in the Baltic Republics - where, in a remarkable parallel to the events in Baku, alleged civil disorder was cited as justification for violent intervention by Soviet troops - further confirms that the Soviet Government has demonstrated that it will deal harshly with nationalist movements", continues the Human Rights Watch report.

The Wall Street Journal editorial of January 4, 1995 claimed that Gorbachev chose to use violence against "independence-seeking Azerbaijan." When a year later the world press criticized Gorbachev for violent massacres of civilians in Lithuania and Latvia, Azerbaijani public was embittered for the silence of the world media on Gorbachev's orders a year earlier, during Black January.[30]

A Memorial dedicated to all victims of March Days and Black January.

[edit] Independence

On October 18, 1991, the Azerbaijan parliament restored the country's independence. Gorbachev later apologized to Azerbaijan by stating: "The declaration of a state emergency in Baku was the biggest mistake of my political career". In 1994, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan adopted a full political and legal evaluation of the Black January events. According to the decree of the President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev from December 16, 1999, all victims of the crackdown were awarded an honorary title of the "Martyr of January 20" (Azerbaijani: 20 yanvar şəhidi).

January 20 is marked as the Day of the Nationwide Sorrow in Azerbaijan.[31]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Kushen, Neier, p. 45
  2. ^ a b c d e f Bill Keller (1990-01-28). "UPHEAVAL IN THE EAST: SOVIET UNION; Force as a Last Resort: Armed Power Salvages Moscow's Facing Authority". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/29/world/upheaval-east-soviet-union-force-last-resort-armed-power-salvages-moscow-s.html?pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2010-01-20. 
  3. ^ a b c d Michael P., Croissant (1998). The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: causes and implications. United States of America: Praeger Publishers. p. 36, 37. ISBN 0-275-96241-5. http://books.google.com/?id=ZeP7OZZswtcC&pg=PP1&dq=Michael+P.+Croissant&cd=3#v=onepage&q=17000 
  4. ^ a b c d e Human Rights Watch. “Playing the "Communal Card": Communal Violence and Human Rights”
  5. ^ Black Garden By Thomas De Waal
  6. ^ Highlanders By Yo'av Karny
  7. ^ On My Country and the World, Mikhail Gorbachev
  8. ^ Anita Inder, Singh (2001). Democracy, ethnic diversity, and security in post-communist Europe. Berlin: Praeger Publishers. p. 61. ISBN 0-275-97258-5. http://books.google.com/?id=nU3bO8uiBn0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Democracy,+ethnic+diversity,+and+security+in+post-communist+Europe+Anita+Inder+Singh&cd=1#v=snippet&q=Interior%20Ministry 
  9. ^ On My Country and the World, By Mikhail Gorbachev
  10. ^ Report of "Shield" union. Moscow: Moscow News. August 12, 1990 
  11. ^ Zverev, Alexei. "Этнические конфликты на Кавказе, 1988—1994 г. [Ethnic conflicts in Caucasus, 1988-1994]". http://poli.vub.ac.be/publi/ContBorders/rus/ch0102.htm. Retrieved 25 March 2010. 
  12. ^ a b Thomas, De Waal (2003). Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through peace and war. New York and London: New York University Press. p. 93. ISBN 0-275-97258-5. http://books.google.com/?id=pletup86PMQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Black+Garden&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Shield 
  13. ^ Washington Post, January 27, 1990, Michael Dobbs
  14. ^ Remembrance and denial: the case of the Armenian genocide By Richard G. Hovannisian
  15. ^ Nationalist mobilization and the collapse of the Soviet State By Mark R. Beissinger
  16. ^ 20 January
  17. ^ Elchin Khalilov (2001-08-15). "Eyewitness: A republic loses faith". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1477933.stm. Retrieved 2010-01-20. 
  18. ^ "Black January: Baku (1990). Behind the Scenes - A Photojournalist's Perspective". Azerbaijan International. 2001-08-15. pp. 33–37. http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/61_folder/61_articles/61_blackjanuary.html. Retrieved 2010-01-20. 
  19. ^ a b Shamkhal Abilov (2010-01-09). "20 January 1990: Black Face of the Red Terror in Azerbaijan". Turkish Weekly. http://www.turkishweekly.net/op-ed/2460/20-january-1990-black-face-of-the-red-terror-in-azerbaijan.html. Retrieved 2010-01-20. 
  20. ^ "Azerbaijan commemorates the anniversary of 20th January tragedy". Today.az. 2010-01-20. http://today.az/news/society/59767.html. Retrieved 2010-01-20. 
  21. ^ Austin American Statesman Jan 16, 1990
  22. ^ San Francisco Chronicle. Jan 27, 1990.pg. A.11
  23. ^ Michael Dobbs (1990-01-27). "Soviets Say Troops Used To Avert Coup in Baku;Nationalists Said to Plan Seizure of Power". The Washington Post. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72560980.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+27%2C+1990&author=Michael+Dobbs&pub=The+Washington+Post+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=a.13&desc=Soviets+Say+Troops+Used+To+Avert+Coup+in+Baku%3BNationalists+Said+to+Plan+Seizure+of+Power. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  24. ^ Svante Cornell (1999). "The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict". Department of East European Studies (Uppsala University) 46. http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/inside/publications/1999_NK_Book.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  25. ^ Steven E., Lobell; Phillip, Mauceri (2004). Ethnic conflict and international politics: explaining diffusion and escalation. The United States: Palgrave MacMillan. p. 58. ISBN 1-4039-6355-X. http://books.google.com/?id=xVmvbEgcZIQC&pg=PA58&dq=Black+January+Azerbaijan&cd=15#v=onepage&q=Black%20January%20Azerbaijan 
  26. ^ "Black January 1990". Azerbaijan International. http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/61_folder/61_articles/61_blackjanuary.html. Retrieved 2009-02-26. 
  27. ^ Soviet Officials Charge Voice of America, Radio Liberty Fueled Riots
  28. ^ Article on Mirza Khazar
  29. ^ a b Robert Kushen, Aryeh Neier (May 1991). Conflict in the Soviet Union: Black January in Azerbaidzhan. Human Rights Watch. p. 3. ISBN 9781564320278. http://books.google.com/?id=ZHLuH7HAH2YC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Conflict+in+the+Soviet+Union:+Black+January+in+Azerbaidzhan%27&q. 
  30. ^ Audrey L., Altstadt (1992). The Azerbaijani Turks: power and identity under Russian rule. Stanford, California: Stanford University. Hoover Institution Press Publication. p. 224. ISBN 0-8179-9182-4. http://books.google.com/?id=sZVN2MwWZVAC&pg=PA224&dq=Black+January+Azerbaijan&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Black%20January%20Azerbaijan 
  31. ^ President of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan. Bloody Memories

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