Public Studio Event Tomorrow: Memorial of the Khojaly Massacre

Khojaly Memorial in the Hague

Why have I never heard of the Khojaly Massacre?  Where was I during the two days of February 25 and 26, 1992?   I was probably chasing my 2 year old daughter around and expecting my son. My husband was a student but often at home.  What would it have been like to engage in my day to day activities and then have an army detail come into Escondido Village where we were living and open fire on all the families that lived there?

Khojaly is a town in Azerbaijan and the Armenian army engaged in ethnic cleansing over a two day period in February 1992, ending the lives of 2000 people.

The Media Center has the very somber privilege of hosting a Memorial to the Khojaly Massacre here tomorrow in our studios: Saturday, February 19, 2011, 7 pm.

This event will include a short documentary about the massacre, two speakers, and a photo exhibit.  A reception will follow the presentation.  The scheduled speakers are Dr. Hadi Sultan-Qurraie who will talk about Recent Genocides and what can be done to stop future Genocide.  And Dr. Zarifa Musayeva will present what Armenian authors are saying about Khojaly.

This event is free and open to the public.  This event will be taped and played back on our channels.  Click here to link to the playback schedule.

The Khojaly memorial at the Hague depicts a soldier holding up a small child ready to dash the poor child's life to kingdom come.  What a horrific contrast to the beautiful statue that stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.  She holds a beacon of light and invites the world to her protection.   When events like this are able to happen in our studios, in some small way, the Media Center honors our universal obligation as citizens of the world to keep the promise of that light alive.

This event is sponsored by the Azerbaijan Cultural Society of California, Northern Azerbaijan Cultural Society of America, the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center and the Consulate of the the Azerbaijan Republic in Los Angeles.