Maraghar Massacre
Encyclopedia
The Maragha Massacre was the April 10, 1992 killing of a number of ethnic Armenians
, during the capture of the village of Maragha
by Azerbaijani troops
, in the course of the Nagorno-Karabakh War
. Estimates differ as to how many Armenians were killed, as well as how many people from the village were subsequently kidnapped, although most sources report that at least forty civilians were killed and a further fifty-three taken hostage.
Motivations regarding the massacre
remain unclear, although the attack may have been an act of retaliation following the massacre at Khojaly
in February of that year.
(HRW, Helsinki Watch) and published in 1992, reconstructed the events leading up to the attack on Maraghar. Having spoken to the only eyewitness available to them at the time, an Armenian fighter who took part in the village's self-defense, the report outlined that Maraghar's self-defense detachments were unable to hold their positions when units of the Azerbaijani army attacked the village on April 10. They were forced to retreat to a spot overlooking the village, while the civilians who remained, mainly consisting of the elderly and the disabled, took shelter in basements and underground shelters. The Azerbaijani army captured Maraghar the same day, but it was retaken by the Armenians the following day. Upon re-entering the village, the Armenian fighters reported that they came across the bodies of forty-three civilians, some of whom were missing eyes or decapitated, and heard reports that several others were taken hostage. The bodies were buried in a mass grave near the village.
gave forty-five as the number of those killed. According to Gevorg Petrossian, Chairman of the Parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, 53 civilians were killed as a result of the attack, although the 1992 report by HRW expressed uncertainty as to whether those reported killed were civilians or self-defense fighters. It assumed, however, that the figure included the forty-three Armenians who were killed by the Azerbaijanis. In 1992, HRW received a report that fifty Armenians had been taken hostage in the attack on Maraghar.
was published in 1993.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, during the capture of the village of Maragha
Maraga, Azerbaijan
Maraga is a village in the Tartar Rayon of Azerbaijan. On April 10, 1992, during the Nagorno-Karabakh war, Maraga was the scene of a massacre of ethnic Armenians by Azerbaijani forces, as retaliation for the Khojaly Massacre committed by Armenian forces less than two months earlier....
by Azerbaijani troops
Azerbaijani Armed Forces
The Azerbaijani Armed Forces were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces from 9 October 1991. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic had originally formed its own armed forces from 26 June 1918...
, in the course of the Nagorno-Karabakh War
Nagorno-Karabakh War
The Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan...
. Estimates differ as to how many Armenians were killed, as well as how many people from the village were subsequently kidnapped, although most sources report that at least forty civilians were killed and a further fifty-three taken hostage.
Motivations regarding the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
remain unclear, although the attack may have been an act of retaliation following the massacre at Khojaly
Khojaly Massacre
The Khojaly Massacre was the killing of hundreds of ethnic Azerbaijani civilians from the town of Khojaly on 25–26 February 1992 by the Armenian and Russian armed forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
in February of that year.
Attack on the village
A preliminary investigation, carried out by Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
(HRW, Helsinki Watch) and published in 1992, reconstructed the events leading up to the attack on Maraghar. Having spoken to the only eyewitness available to them at the time, an Armenian fighter who took part in the village's self-defense, the report outlined that Maraghar's self-defense detachments were unable to hold their positions when units of the Azerbaijani army attacked the village on April 10. They were forced to retreat to a spot overlooking the village, while the civilians who remained, mainly consisting of the elderly and the disabled, took shelter in basements and underground shelters. The Azerbaijani army captured Maraghar the same day, but it was retaken by the Armenians the following day. Upon re-entering the village, the Armenian fighters reported that they came across the bodies of forty-three civilians, some of whom were missing eyes or decapitated, and heard reports that several others were taken hostage. The bodies were buried in a mass grave near the village.
Human rights groups
Accounts differ on precisely how many people were killed in the attack. A 1993 Country Dossier Report by Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
gave forty-five as the number of those killed. According to Gevorg Petrossian, Chairman of the Parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, 53 civilians were killed as a result of the attack, although the 1992 report by HRW expressed uncertainty as to whether those reported killed were civilians or self-defense fighters. It assumed, however, that the figure included the forty-three Armenians who were killed by the Azerbaijanis. In 1992, HRW received a report that fifty Armenians had been taken hostage in the attack on Maraghar.
Baroness Cox and Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Baroness Caroline Cox, an advocate of the Armenian cause in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, who led a delegation that observed the damage and interviewed eyewitnesses, stated that after Azerbaijani forces attacked Maragha, they decapitated about forty five villagers, burned and looted much of the town, and kidnapped about one hundred women and children. A more detailed report of the findings of Cox and Christian Solidarity WorldwideChristian Solidarity Worldwide
Christian Solidarity Worldwide is a human rights organisation which specialises in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all. Its current president is Jonathan Aitken, having taken over from Baroness Cox in 2006...
was published in 1993.
See also
- List of massacres in Azerbaijan
- Sumgait pogromSumgait PogromThe Sumgait pogrom was a pogrom that targeted the Armenian population of the seaside town of Sumgait in Soviet Azerbaijan during February 1988...
- Kirovabad pogromKirovabad pogromThe Kirovabad pogrom or the pogrom of Kirovabad was an Azeri-led pogrom that targeted Armenians living in the city of Kirovabad in Soviet Azerbaijan during November 1988....
- Khojaly MassacreKhojaly MassacreThe Khojaly Massacre was the killing of hundreds of ethnic Azerbaijani civilians from the town of Khojaly on 25–26 February 1992 by the Armenian and Russian armed forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
- Nagorno-Karabakh WarNagorno-Karabakh WarThe Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan...
- Anti-ArmenianismAnti-ArmenianismArmenophobia is the fear, dislike of, hatred or aversion to the Armenians, Republic of Armenia and the Armenian culture, which can range in expression from individual hatred to institutionalized persecution...