Azerbaijan commemorates victims of 'Black January'

By Ruslan Rehimov </p> <p>BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) – Azerbaijanis thronged on Sunday to Martyrs' Lane in the capital Baku to mark the 29th anniversary of Black January, remembering the violence from the breakup of the Soviet Union. </p> <p>Seen as the rebirth of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Black January witnessed the massacre of 150 people in Baku on Jan. 20, 1990, on the eve of the country’s independence. </p> <p>President Ilham Aliyev and other senior state officials also visited the memorial. At the ceremony, Azerbaijan’s national anthem was played and Aliyev left a wreath at the Memorial of Eternal Flame. </p> <p>After the official ceremony, thousands of Azerbaijanis paid their respects to victims of the massacre, left red carnations on their graves, and paid tribute to the martyrs with a minute of silence. </p> <p>Turkey's Ambassador in Baku Erkan Ozoral, embassy staff, and representatives of Turkish institutions also attended the ceremony.