Armenophobia in Azerbaijan has persisted since its establishment in 1918 and remains a significant issue in the region. In 1918, the massacre of Armenians in Baku serve as a glaring example of this deeply rooted prejudice and hatred. The massacre was not isolated incidents but part of a larger pattern of violence against Armenians, echoing the tragic genocide committed against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
The Baku massacre unfolded with the tacit approval of the newly formed Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, as local “Tatars” and Turkish-Azerbaijani troops carried out a meticulously planned massacre on the Armenian population. The consequences were devastating, as over 23,000 Armenians, comprising approximately 25% of the Armenian community, fell victim to these massacres between September 15 and 17. The horrors of massacre knew no bounds, sparing neither children nor the sick. Almost no Armenian family was able to escape the horrific massacres in Azerbaijan. Three hundred sixty patients were killed at Balakhani Hospital, and 63 children met their tragic end when they were thrown from the fourth floor of an orphanage on Komandantski Street. The Armenian quarter was reduced to ruins, and an attempt was made to conceal the evidence of mass killings by disposing of the Armenian corpses at sea or burning them.
Furthermore, the aftermath of the massacre saw 9,000 young Armenians forcibly sent to labor in the Mughan desert, with only a fraction of them managing to return. Regrettably, the echoes of history resound today as Azerbaijan subjects the Armenian people in Artsakh to a similar plight, exposing them to starvation. International mechanisms to prevent such actions have not been fully realized, making it imperative to address the alarming presence of hate and Armenophobic rhetoric in Azerbaijani society. Taking proactive measures against these prejudices is crucial to preventing future generations from experiencing such horrors.
El Paso herald., October 26, 1918, HOME EDITION, Page 2
The massacre in Baku, 1918
“30 thousand killed in fighting at Baku; Armenians suffer Horribly” is how El Paso Herald described the massacre of 1918 on its December 7th edition. The paper refers to reports received by German paper “Vorwärts”. The latter states that “Turkish forces massacred 10 thousand Armenians while evacuating the towns of Baku, Olti and Ardahan, in the Caucasus” and “in some towns the entire Armenian population was exterminated. The Turks permitted Tartar troops to plunder the Armenians”.
