20 January
Special Day in
Azerbaijan's
History
Late at night on
January 19, 1990,
26.000 Soviet troops
stormed Baku. They
acted pursuant to a
state of emergency
declared by the USSR
Supreme Soviet
Presidium,
signed by President
Gorbachev and
disclosed to the
Azerbaijani public
only after many
citizens lay wounded
or dead in the
streets, hospitals
and morgues of Baku.
More than 130 people
died from wounds
received that night
and during
subsequent violent
confrontations and
incidents that
lasted in February;
the majority of
these were civilians
killed by Soviet
soldiers. More than
700 civilians were
wounded. Hundreds of
people were
detained, only a
handful of whom
were put on trial
for alleged criminal
offenses. Civil
liberties were
severely curtailed.
In 1991 Azerbaijan
became independent.
Black January of
1990 January 20,
1990 is a Special
Day in Azerbaijan's
History
