On February 26, 2025, a memorial ceremony was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Iraq on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

The ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Iraqi House of Representatives, Turkmen MP Arshad Salihi, the well-known literary critic and critic Dr. Sadiq Al-Jamal, Professor Ghada Hadi of Baghdad University, Falah Al-Marsumi, editor of the “As-Sadaka” newspaper, Sabah Kirkuki, editor of the “Turkmeneli” newspaper of Kirkuk, Professor Dr. Mutaz Muhi Abdulhamid, chairman of the “Iraq-Azerbaijan Friendship Society” and other guests.

First, the dear memory of the victims and martyrs of the Khojaly genocide was commemorated with a minute of silence.

Opening the ceremony with an introductory speech, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Iraq, Elnur Mammadzada, drew attention to the fact that the Khojaly genocide ranks among the most terrible tragedies committed against humanity, and at the same time, it is a grave crime committed against human civilization and human rights.

E. Mammadzada noted that the patrons of Armenians and the insidious circles that could not accept the existence of our independent state committed such bitter tragedies as the Sumgayit events, the January 20 tragedy, and the Khojaly genocide against the peaceful population of our country.

Chargé d'Affaires stated that women and children were left defenseless in the face of the enemy, that a total of 613 Azerbaijani civilians were killed, 1,275 were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 people is still unknown.

E. Mammadzada also drew attention to the fact that the Khojaly genocide was given a political and legal assessment at the initiative of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev in order to convey the truth about Khojaly to the world community, including the recognition of this tragedy as an act of genocide against our people.

Then, the chairman of the committee, A. Salihi, first of all, prayed to Almighty Allah to have mercy on our martyrs and to heal our wounded and emphasized the importance of foreign countries, especially Islamic countries, giving a political assessment to this massacre in order to recognize the Khojaly genocide as a cruel crime against humanity, including the need for those who committed this tragedy to answer before international courts.

At the same time, the chairman of the committee stated that although the Khojaly tragedy was remembered with sorrow, the blood of the Khojaly people did not remain on the ground and all countries of the world recognized Azerbaijan as a victorious country.

During their speeches the ceremony participants provided information about the Arabs, Turkmens, Christians, Yazidis, Shabaks and other national minorities who were brutally murdered during the Saddam regime or by ISIS terrorists, as well as the thousands of people who went missing, mass executions, sexual violence and torture was carried out. They also noted that they deeply understood the grief of the Azerbaijani people, expressed their condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives as a result of the Khojaly genocide and shared the grief of their families.

During the ceremony participants were also informed about the importance of the "Justice for Khojaly" campaign, initiated by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, in conveying the truth about the tragedy to the world community and a video clip on the Day of Remembrance was shown.