A commemorative event dedicated to the 36th anniversary of the January 20 events was held at the Institute of Botany PLE of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The participants of the event honored the memory of the martyrs with a minute of silence.

Opening the event, the Institute’s acting director, Professor Sayyara Ibadullayeva, stated that the January 20 tragedy is a triumph of the Azerbaijani people’s long struggle for independence, national will, and freedom. The professor noted that on the night of January 19–20, 1990, as a result of the deployment of Soviet troops into Baku, sons and daughters of the homeland who rose in the struggle for freedom were martyred, injured, and unlawfully arrested. Three of those who lost their lives were employees of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. She also mentioned that the first political assessment of this bloody event was given by National Leader Heydar Aliyev on January 21, 1990, at a meeting held at Azerbaijan’s permanent representation in Moscow.

S. Ibadullayeva emphasized that, under the military and political leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, and thanks to the bravery of our powerful army and the unity of our people, the historic Victory achieved in the 44-day Patriotic War avenged the martyrs, and their blood was not shed in vain.

At the event, Doctors of Biological Sciences, Professors Aydin Asgarov, Shakir Gasimov, Dilzara Agayeva, Elman Isgandar, and PhDs in Biology Aladdin Gadimov, Parvana Garakhani, Sadig Garayev, Nigar Mursal, and Hilal Imanli stated that this crime committed against the Azerbaijani people will never be forgotten and will always live in the memory of our nation as a heroic chronicle of the struggle for national freedom.

A documentary film dedicated to the January 20 tragedy was screened.

At the end of the event, the staff of the Institute of Botany visited the Alley of Martyrs and paid tribute to the cherished memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our country.