1992 massacre of hundreds in Azerbaijan marked by OIC

The world’s premier Islamic bloc has commemorated the 1992 massacre of hundreds of Azerbaijanis -- including women and children -- in the wake of the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), paid tribute to "all those who lost their lives in the 1992 atrocity," according to a statement on Sunday.

Al-Othaimeen said the massacre in the town of Khojaly was the result of "the illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territory by Armenia."

He also cited the final communique of a 2013 OIC meeting characterizing the acts against civilians in Azerbaijani territories as "war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide."

"The Secretary General further reiterated the OIC’s full support to the initiatives and efforts of the Republic of Azerbaijan to put an end to the occupation of its territories and to restore its territorial integrity," said the statement.

The Feb. 25-26, 1992 massacre is seen as one of the bloodiest incidents of the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan for control of the now-occupied Karabakh region.

Armenian forces took over the town of Khojaly in Karabakh on Feb. 26 after battering it with heavy artillery and tanks, assisted by an infantry regiment.

The two-hour offensive killed 613 Azeri citizens, including 116 women and 63 children, and critically injured 487 others, according to Azerbaijani figures.

Karabakh -- a disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia -- broke away from Azerbaijan in 1991 with military support from neighboring Armenia, and a peace process has yet to be implemented.

Three UN Security Council resolutions and two UN General Assembly resolutions refer to Karabakh as being part of Azerbaijan, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe refers to the region as being occupied by Armenian forces.

The Armenian occupation of Karabakh led to the closing of the frontier with Turkey, which sides with Baku in the dispute.