On behalf of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), H.E. Taha Ayhan, the ICYF President, expresses his heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the people and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the Khojaly Genocide perpetrated by the Armenian armed forces in the town of Khojaly of Karabagh (the Republic of Azerbaijan) on 26 February 1992.
The ICYF President reiterates that the Khojaly Genocide was another horrible consequence of the illegal occupation, ethnic cleansing and genocide perpetrated by the Armenian army against the peaceful Azerbaijani people. At the same time, this crime amounts to the most severe violation of norms and principles of international law and fundamental human rights. As a result of this horrific crime against humanity, 613 peaceful civilians of Azerbaijan, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 elderly have been murdered.
The ICYF, in this respect, remains on the side of Azerbaijan in all its international efforts and campaigns, including those at the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), for the implementation of the relevant international law in order to punish those Armenian murderers who perpetrated Khojaly Genocide.
ICYF supports the “Justice for Khojaly” International Awareness Campaign (www.justiceforkhojaly.org) since its launch in 2008 at the initiative of Mrs Leyla Aliyeva, the General Coordinator of ICYF, with the apparent endorsement of the OIC through its relevant resolutions. In this context, ICYF Headquarters and its Eurasian Regional Centre (ICYF-ERC) annually organize social awareness activities under the campaign.
The ICYF President referring to Cairo Final Communiqué of the 12th Session of the Islamic Summit and other resolutions of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, especially resolutions No. 51/47-POL on Solidarity with the Victims of the Khojaly 131 Massacre of 1992, No. 7/47-C(B) adopted by the 47th session of the Council, held in Niamey, Niger on November 2020, calls youth communities in OIC Geography, including all member institutions of ICYF, to spare no effort to raise awareness of the Genocide among the youth of their relevant countries.