The National Council of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NAYORA) held a series of events dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the January 20 tragedy.
20 January 2025

The series of events began with a march to the Alley of Martyrs to commemorate the victims of the January 20 tragedy. Young people, leaders and representatives of youth organizations, as well as members of Student Youth Organizations visited the Alley of Martyrs on the occasion of January 20 - the National Day of Mourning. The young people, honoring the memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sovereignty and independence of our country, laid flowers at the "Eternal Flame" monument and the graves of the martyrs.
Within the framework of the series of events, a panel discussion entitled "January 20: From Memories to the Future" dedicated to the commemoration of the January 20 tragedy was held with the support of the Youth Foundation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and jointly organized by the National Council of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NAYORA) and the "Great Return" Youth Organization. The event was attended by leaders and representatives of youth organizations, young people, participants in the Karabakh war and witnesses of the January 20 events. The discussion began with the playing of the National Anthem and a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs of January 20. Then, the speakers made speeches and noted that January 20 is not only a tragedy, but also a history that has become a symbol of struggle and heroism of our people. This bloody event, directed against the national identity and spirit of freedom of the Azerbaijani people, despite all its gravity, could not shake the determination of the people for national freedom. National Leader Heydar Aliyev made unparalleled contributions in conveying the truths of January 20 to the world community and giving a political and legal assessment to the tragedy. The Great Leader came to the Permanent Representation of Azerbaijan in Moscow and, in addition to resolutely condemning this atrocity, also explained the reasons for its commission, and announced the names of its organizers and perpetrators to the whole world. The international community once again clearly saw the results of this struggle in the valor shown by our people during the 44-day Patriotic War under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. This event further strengthened the unity and will of our people and gave impetus to the struggle for freedom. As a result, January 20 was one of the historical turning points that demonstrated to the world the indestructibility of the national spirit of the Azerbaijani people.
The next event titled "January 20 - Talking Tales" was organized at the Resource Center of Youth Organizations with the support of the Youth Foundation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and jointly organized by the National Council of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NAYORA) and the "Great Return" Youth Organization. The event was attended by witnesses of the tragedy, Colonel Hikmet Aghayev, holder of the "Azerbaijan Flag" Order, and Karabakh veteran Huseynov Valeh Allahverdi oglu, who shared their memories of the events of January 20 with the youth and answered questions of interest to them.
As a continuation of the events, panel discussions were held on the topics of “January 20: The Struggle for Freedom and Independence”. Young people from different countries, historians and representatives of international youth organizations participated in the event. During the discussion, the participants emphasized the importance of the January 20 event not only for the history of Azerbaijan, but also for world freedom movements. They also compared January 20 with freedom struggles in other countries and noted how this event has become a symbol on an international scale. Then, steps to be taken to promote the January 20 events among young people and properly convey them to future generations were discussed.