What Happened
The Night That Changed the Country
By the end of the 1980s Azerbaijan was living under mounting tension: the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a flow of refugees and the crisis of Soviet power gave rise to a mass movement for independence. By January 1990 the confrontation between the popular movement and the Union centre had reached its limit.
On the night of 20 January, after a state of emergency was declared, large forces of the Soviet Army entered Baku. The city met them with barricades and human chains; the use of force against civilians turned that night into a tragedy that Azerbaijan remembers as Black January.
Timeline
1988
Escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Streams of refugees pour into Azerbaijan; discontent grows in society and a movement for national rights rises.
1989
The Popular Front of Azerbaijan gains strength. Mass rallies are held across the republic demanding reforms, sovereignty and protection from violence.
January 1990
The situation in Baku reaches its peak. The Union leadership decides to send in troops, and the declaration of a state of emergency is prepared.
19 January
In the evening the power unit of the television station is disabled — the city is left without official broadcasting. The Union centre declares a state of emergency in Baku.
Night of 20 January
Units of the Soviet Army enter Baku, breaking through barricades. Civilians die under fire and beneath the treads of tanks; hundreds of people are wounded.
22 January
The funeral of the dead turns into nationwide mourning. Hundreds of thousands of Baku residents accompany the martyrs to the heights above the bay — the future Alley of Martyrs.
1991
Azerbaijan restores its state independence. Black January becomes one of the symbols of the path to freedom.
1994
The Parliament of Azerbaijan gives a full political and legal assessment of the events. 20 January is officially established as the Day of National Mourning.
"Martyrs do not die — they remain with the people who remember them."Popular memory
Scale
147
killed (according to official figures)
800+wounded
26,000troops were deployed
1991year independence was restored