There are many unforgettable days in the history of Azerbaijan—moments that are forever engraved in memory and cannot be erased from the pages of history. Unfortunately, alongside many glorious chapters, there are also pages filled with tragedies and acts of genocide. Throughout all stages of its history, our people have endured suffering in order to protect their land, state, and statehood. One of these horrific events was the mass massacres committed with particular cruelty in March–April 1918 by armed Dashnak-Bolshevik groups operating under the mandate of the Baku Soviet.
The March 1918 genocides are among the bloodiest tragedies not only in the history of Azerbaijan but in the history of humanity in terms of their scale and brutality. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Armenians killed thousands of people without distinction—children, the elderly, and women—slaughtering them, burning them alive, and turning much of Baku into ruins. The genocide of Azerbaijanis was carried out not only in Baku but also with extreme cruelty in Shamakhi, Quba districts, Karabakh, Zangezur, Nakhchivan, Lankaran, Ganja, and other regions. In these areas, more than 30,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, tens of thousands were expelled from their homes, cities and villages were burned, and national cultural monuments were destroyed. Alongside tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis, thousands of people of Lezgi, Jewish, Russian, Avar, and Talysh origin also became victims of this genocide.
The first attempt to give a political assessment to this genocide against Azerbaijanis was made after the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. However, the fall of the republic left this work unfinished.
The genocides committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis were repeated at the end of the 20th century. As a result of military crimes initiated by nationalist-separatist Armenians in Azerbaijan, thousands of our compatriots were martyred, and more than one million people were displaced from their native lands.
After Azerbaijan restored its state independence, it became possible to present an objective picture of our historical past. Truths that had been hidden and suppressed for many years began to emerge, and practical steps were taken to preserve the enduring history of our people.
In order to commemorate all genocide tragedies committed against the Azerbaijani people, on March 26, 1998, National Leader Heydar Aliyev signed the Decree “On the Genocide of Azerbaijanis.” With this decree, March 31 was declared the “Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis.” On March 30, 1999, a plan of measures was approved to ensure the consistent and organized implementation of this decree.
In that historic decree, Heydar Aliyev drew attention to the various stages of the deliberate and systematic genocide policy carried out by Armenians against Azerbaijanis. It is noted that the Republic of Azerbaijan, as the successor of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, accepts as a historical duty the task of giving a political assessment to these events as a logical continuation of decisions that could not be fully implemented at the time.
The political and legal assessment of genocide acts provided by this decree gave boost to research in this field and increased efforts to uncover the truth. As a result of investigations, many new facts and documents were collected, and a mass grave was discovered in the city of Quba. These historical facts prove that the geography of the bloody actions carried out by Armenian nationalists in March–April 1918 and in subsequent periods was much wider, and the number of victims was far greater.
At the same time, significant work has been done to study this history; many works have been written and translated into foreign languages. As emphasized by the National Leader:
“Although it is difficult to convey to the world states and influential international organizations the truths about the genocide committed against our people based on real facts and evidence, to change the false perceptions formed by Armenian propaganda, and to achieve a legal-political assessment, this honorable and sacred task must continue today and in the future. This is a sacred duty of the present generation before the memory of the victims of genocide.”
The important work carried out to convey these truths to the world community, to preserve the national memory of future generations of the Azerbaijani people, and to immortalize the victims of genocide, as well as the successful policy laid down, are being continued today by President Ilham Aliyev. By his decree dated December 30, 2009, it was decided to establish the “Genocide Memorial Complex” in the city of Quba. The complex, covering an area of 3.5 hectares and consisting of five parts, was built in 2012–2013 on the left bank of the Gudyalchay River in Quba and opened on September 18, 2013.
It should be noted that according to the UN Convention “On the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide” adopted on December 9, 1948, acts committed with the intent to wholly or partially destroy national, ethnic, or racial groups are considered crimes under international law.
The March 31 genocide remains in human history not only as a crime and tragedy but also as a heroic page of Azerbaijan’s history. In particular, during the Second Karabakh Patriotic War, the heroic sons of the victorious Azerbaijani Army, fulfilling the orders of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, avenged all atrocities and genocides committed against our people.
The signing of the trilateral statement between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia on November 10, 2020, with the participation of the President of the Russian Federation, as well as the trilateral declaration signed in Washington on August 8, 2025, with the participation of the President of the United States, and the initialing of the provisions of a Peace Agreement, put an end to the injustices our people had suffered for many years.
Today, in a period when the global political architecture is being reshaped, Azerbaijan is successfully carrying out its peacekeeping mission. Our country protects its independence, restored sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and by rapidly carrying out reconstruction work in our native Karabakh with the support of Turkic states and other partner countries, ensures peace, stability, and security in the South Caucasus.
Thus, by strengthening its position in the modern world, Azerbaijan, together with friendly neighboring and global states, strives to build a prosperous future for all peoples.
Author: Mazahir Afandiyev, member of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan
