 Frankly, I thought for a long before writing on this topic. I thought not because I didn’t want to hurt Ilham Aliyev’s feeling and touch unkind memory of Heydar Aliyev; feelings of these people are completely indifferent for me. I didn’t want to reopen the wounds of mothers and wives; children of those young men who were forcibly driven from Azerbaijan into Armenian Artsakh Mountains, where they forever remained in unknown graves. Even more than that I didn’t want to awaken painful memories of parents among the indigenous peoples of Azerbaijan; their young and innocent children were sacrificed to the Moloch of Azerbaijani government’s Turkish interests.
To write about this is hard, but not to write is crime. This is a crime since today in Azerbaijan "revanchism” is a hot topic, there are more deserters’ appeals who ready to send young men in Karabakh for slaughter by staying in their offices. It is crime since current President inherited Azerbaijan, same as his deceased daddy dreams to muffle protest voices against his tyranny in Azerbaijan by new blood in Artsakh. It is crime because the silence about Heydar Aliyev’s military crimes panders new crimes of his son.
In November 1991 I had to dig the frozen land on the territory of the television repeater antenna in Hadrut. During that superbly organized military operation our troops freed three Armenian villages and mountain, on top of it was built relay station that Azerbaijani OMON turned into a fortress. At that fight Azeri OMON were surrendered, left their weapon and were expelled from Artsakh under the supervision of Special Region’s military commandant. They were so pleased with their wonderful escape that they didn’t remember their fallen colleagues, leaving to us concerns of seven corpses. We had to bury those who were sent in Artsakh to kill our relatives and friends.
Later, similar stories took place many times. Our guys had to bury corpses of Azeri soldiers abandoned by their comrades. First, two or three bodies, then tens and even hundreds. Some "lucky” Azeri askers were buried not yet cooled, however not rarely we had to bury decomposed corpses. Although, there is a phrase enemy’s corpse always smells well, I have to admit that’s a severe sight.
Nevertheless, harsh war realities as well as elementary care of healthiness on the land of battle, forced us to ignore our feelings and do the heavy work. I remember the bitter joke of my comrade: "Not only you destroy them at risk for life, but then you also bury them at risk for health”. These words of real Soldier and Man reflected the truth of that war. In the fall of 1992 Commission for the External Relations of NKR’s Parliament appealed to the Azerbaijani side with the proposal to conclude short term cease-fire agreement in order to be able to bury hundreds of corpses of the attackers’ askers. There was no reply: and we had to bury these corpses about in a month.
However, the matter of fact has changed when Heydar Aliyev came to power in Azerbaijan. Suddenly, Azerbaijani side began to bury their askers, those that were remained on their side of front line. The warriors of NKR Defense Army in amazement watched, how driven from the depth of Azerbaijan to the front line bulldozers and excavators dug huge pits; then corpses of their own askers were dumped in pits.
 In my personal files I have lists of destroyed Azeri soldiers, found at their killed commanders. I repeat, I thought for a long, whether to publish them. What’s better: Azeri politicians’ sweet lie when they claim the unknown fate of "missing” Azeri askers, or bitter truth? Apparently, truth is better. Since President of Azerbaijan, in spite of all Islam canons "moved” hundreds of Azeri askers corpses’ on Martyr’s lane for the pompous funeral of his parents, today again ready to send to certain death hundreds of thousands young Azerbaijani people. I hope that indicated in report Mustafayev T. A., who didn’t want to participate in Azerbaijan’s crime and "willfully left a military part”, escaped prosecution and lives now with his family.
In the years of Azerbaijan’s aggression Razmik (young soldier, volunteer) asked me in perplexity: "Does Azeri religion forbids them to touch the corpses, why do they collect their dead with excavators?”. I answered that thus Azerbaijan hides from its population huge armed force losses, and in fact Islam same as Christianity forbids to bury people without bathing, Razmik perplexedly replied: but "How? Even Satan won’t do that with his soldiers”. It happened if I’m right, in September 1993. But this was only beginning of Heydar Aliyev’s plan for the concealment of corpses.
Work of Azerbaijani "burial team” got its sweep at the end of December 1993, during next (and last) of Heydar Aliyev’s adventures – attempt to capture Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Since December 21, Azerbaijan undertook the most massive and reckless assault, which lasted until mid-April of 1994. According to the most conservative estimate within this period Azerbaijan lost killed up to 22 thousand askers. But how many mothers could mourn their sons? How many Azeri children of those askers are able to visit fathers’ graves?
The proposed map is absolutely precise, but it’s far from complete, since not all mass "burials” could be seen by Armenian soldiers, not always they had time, and yes not always they had desire to count the number of dumped into pits dead askers. Even our editorial staff hardly could clarify places of all mass burials. Heydar Aliyev was afraid to show Azerbaijan’s population true quantity of killed in his honor young men and this fear of public anger forced him to order to dig new "common graves”. This crime wasn’t due to "harsh war truth”, it was due to the desire to retain power by any cost, even if price is thousands of ruined lives, tears and inconsolable grief of mothers and widows, and orphaned children.
Map indicates the place of mass burials of about (1600) thousand six hundred Azeri askers. The young men many of whom are still awaited in their homes. We didn’t consider killed in Karvachar (Kelbajar), where according to the former head of the press center of Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry Leyla Yunus were killed more than five thousand Azeris. According to our data, in Karvachar mountains were killed more than 5500 Azeri askers; however, they were not included in our list because of simple and tragic reason: their corpses remained under the rubbles of stones and snow.
Today Heydar Aliyev’s son is ready to follow in the footsteps of his father. I have no doubts: result of new Azerbaijan’s military aggression against the Artsakh republic will be accurately the same as before. However, new armed Azerbaijan’s adventure will cause new colossal causalities both among Armenian and Azerbaijan people. If in 1991-94 years Azerbaijan lost only 37 thousand soldiers killed, then new war, taking into account the fact that Armenian states and Azerbaijan all these years intensely armed will lead to the death of much larger number of young people. In this case, I am confident; new Azerbaijan’s aggression would cast doubt on the existence of Azerbaijan Republic.
Ilham Aliyev spent on grandiose monument to his parents on the Martyr’s lane in Baku more funds, than on social assistance to refugees during 18 years in total.
Ilham Aliyev spent on Heydar Aliyev’s monuments in the entire world more funds than on families of killed in Karabakh Azeri askers during 18 years in total.
Ilham Aliyev spent on building of Heydar Aliyev’s museums more funds than on invalids and participants of Karabakh war during 18 years in total.
There are a lot of monuments in Azerbaijan to the "national leader” Heydar Aliyev. It seems to me necessary to built at least eleven more – at places of "common graves” at the border with Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
In Azerbaijan many streets, avenues, parks, squares, palaces, enterprises, ships, towns named after Heydar Aliyev. There can be no doubts: the best places of Heydar Aliyev’s perpetuation are hidden "mass graves” near the border with Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
Levon MELIK-SHAHNAZARYAN
|
