Mehmet Emir Aksoy: 20 January showed the Azerbaijani people that independence is only possible when it rests on their own will

The events of 20 January were not only a tragedy in which unarmed civilians were targeted, but also a clear example of systematic state violence aimed at suppressing the Azerbaijani people’s will for independence. This event created an irreversible social and psychological breaking point in Azerbaijan’s modern political history.

This was stated by Turkish expert Mehmet Emir Aksoy in an interview with The Daily Baku.

The expert recalled that in the late 1980s the Soviet Union had entered a phase of disintegration amid a deep economic crisis, the weakening of central authority, and the rise of national movements in the union republics. The strengthening of Armenian separatism in Karabakh and the USSR’s inability to ensure the security of Azerbaijani Turks caused serious concern within society. The mass protests that began in Baku were primarily driven by demands to protect territorial integrity, defend constitutional rights, and secure political sovereignty. Although these demonstrations were largely peaceful in nature, the Soviet leadership chose military intervention rather than dialogue.

Mehmet Emir Aksoy noted that on the night of 19 to 20 January, by decision of the Soviet leadership, approximately 26,000 Soviet troops equipped with tanks and armoured vehicles were deployed into Baku. “The state of emergency was not announced to the population in advance, and the city was effectively placed under military control.

During the intervention, fire was opened on unarmed civilians, and civilian vehicles and ambulances were targeted. According to official data, 147 people were killed, more than 700 were injured, and hundreds were detained. Independent sources indicate that the number of casualties was higher. The course of events proves that this operation was intended not to maintain public order, but to instil fear and suppress resistance.”

The expert emphasised that 20 January also raises serious questions from the perspective of international law. The use of military force against unarmed civilians constituted a blatant violation of fundamental human rights. “Nevertheless, the reaction of the international community was weak. This silence fostered deep distrust within Azerbaijani society not only towards the leadership in Moscow, but towards the international system as a whole, and further strengthened the people’s determination to decide their own fate without reliance on external support.”

According to Mehmet Emir Aksoy, although the Soviet authorities appeared to establish military control in Baku in the short term, 20 January ultimately destroyed the central government’s legitimacy over Azerbaijan in the long run. Trust in the Soviet system collapsed, and the idea of independence became a mass and irreversible national objective. The principled statements made in Moscow at that time by National Leader Heydar Aliyev conveyed to the international community that this tragedy was a grave crime committed against the Azerbaijani people and secured a special place in political memory. The independence achieved in 1991 would not have been possible without the public consciousness and political will shaped by 20 January.

In conclusion, the expert stated that 20 January is not only a day of mourning for Azerbaijan, but also a historical threshold demonstrating the heavy price paid for independence. This tragedy showed the world that the political destiny of the Azerbaijani people would be shaped not by the will of external powers, but by their own national consciousness and determination. Today, 20 January lives on in Azerbaijan’s collective memory as a symbol of resistance, sovereignty, and independence.