Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping CJSC (ASCO) held an event in connection with the 30th anniversary of the tragedy of January 20.
After a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs, in his speech, ASCO chairman Rauf Valiev said that 30 years ago at night from January 19 to January 20, 1990, units of the Soviet special forces, as well as units of the navy and internal forces committed atrocities against civilians, killed and injured innocent people. Hundreds of Azerbaijanis became disabled, went missing.
Rauf Valiyev noted that in those years there was no political assessment of the events. In addition, the names of the initiators and criminals were not announced to the people as well. The first to express his attitude to the event was National Leader Heydar Aliyev. On January 21, 1990, the Great Leader, arriving at the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan in Moscow, said that the happenings were contrary to the principles of humanism and the rule of law. A genuine legal and political assessment of the events became possible after the return of Heydar Aliyev to power. The Great Leader, resuming the work of the commission to identify the causes and perpetrators of the tragedy of January 20, was able to uncover the true truth and once again confirm its solidarity with people.
Rauf Valiyev emphasized the special attitude of President Ilham Aliyev to the families of martyrs who died or lost their health for the independence of Azerbaijan. The Chairman also noted that the First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which she leads, always pay attention to the problems of war veterans, families of martyrs and people with disabilities.
The Chairman of ASCO added that January 20 is also a day of our pride and honor. The courage of the sons and daughters of our country, who fell martyrs for the independence and sovereignty of our country, is an example for everyone.
Rauf Valiev also spoke about the heroism and devotion of sailors. During and in the days after the events, the sailors were in solidarity with the people. The strafing of the ships could not interfere with national unity and writing the history of heroism.
The Chairman also said that the memory of martyrs is always revered, their names are immortalized. As an illustrative example to his words, he noted a feature film dedicated to the heroism of sailors during the January 20 tragedy. The film is shot upon the initiative and with the support of ASCO. According to the Chairman, the film, to be presented next year, will be the first to introduce the tragedy to the world community and form a clear opinion about the sailors who tried to stop the massacre and atrocity committed by the Soviet empire. The Chairman noted that the film is shot by experienced professionals with the participation of famous local and foreign actors. The director of the film is the Honored Art Worker Elkhan Jafarov, the art director and the performer of one of the main roles is Fakhraddin Manafov. Honoured Artist Rasim Balaev will play another major role. The director of photography is Gint Berzins, one of the leading European experts from Latvia, and the famous Georgian artist Mamuka Esadze is the production designer.
At the end of his speech, the Chairman wished success to the entire creative team and expressed confidence in the quality adaptation of the picture.
Then, a living witness to the bloody January events, veteran sailor Agalar Ibragimov proudly spoke about the courage and heroism of his colleagues. He noted that in those days, sailors gave a SOS signal every hour to draw the world’s attention to the bloody tragedy in Baku. At the risk of their lives, the sailors entered into an unequal struggle with the imperial army in the Baku bay. During those events, many of our ships were seriously damaged; more than a thousand bullets and shells left traces on some of them.
Next to speak were the crew members.
The director of the film, Honored Art Worker Elkhan Jafarov, said that the cohesion and unity of sailors against enemies during the events of January 20 makes him feel proud. Despite the fact that the sailors were in a difficult situation, they were able to transmit information in all directions. According to the director, the purpose of the feature film is to demonstrate to a wider audience and correctly convey to the next generation the events experienced at sea on January 20 and the heroism of the sailors.
He spoke about the film production process and noted that the artistic and director scripts are ready. The script is based on archive documents identified during historical research, facts told by witnesses and experts.
The director noted that the picture will reflect not only the bitterness and pain of the tragedy of January 20, but will also help in conveying to the world the heroism shown by the Azerbaijani people and the sailors, as well as the scale of the resistance movement in the name of love for the homeland.
Elkhan Jafarov expressed gratitude to the ASCO management for their support in shooting the film dedicated to hero sailors.
People’s artist Fakhraddin Manafov said that the events of January 20 entered our history as one of the most tragic, and at the same time heroic pages. Despite the fact that the January 20 massacre was carried out with great cruelty, people proved their tenacity, devotion to their homeland, their desire for freedom.
Speaking about the heroism of sailors in those difficult days, Fakhraddin Manafov noted that the self-sacrifice formed the basis of the film. The People’s Artist also told that the main events take place around the Council of Captains, formed of 7 persons during the tragedy. From the speech of heroes depicting these 7 people, the main significance of the events will be shown.
Fakhraddin Manafov expressed gratitude to the leadership of ASCO for their support in shooting a film aimed at covering the events of January 20, preserving our history and transferring the heroism of sailors to the next generation.
At the end of the event, participants watched a documentary about the courage and heroism of sailors of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company CJSC, shown 30 years ago during the January 20 tragedy.
