34 years have passed since the Khojaly tragedy. From February 25 to 26, 1992, the Armenian Army and armed formations of Karabakh separatists massacred unarmed, innocent people before the eyes of the world. The event, perpetrated with particular cruelty and ruthlessness against women, children, and the elderly, is considered one of the most horrific tragedies of the 20th century.
As a result of the Khojaly genocide, 613 residents of Khojaly were murdered, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderly individuals, and 1275 people were taken captive. The fate of some of those taken captive remains unknown to this day.
Those who perpetrated the Khojaly genocide not only showed no remorse but, on the contrary, took pride and rejoiced. This demonstrated their pettiness. For they had targeted unarmed elderly, women, and children, not people who could respond or resist.
However, there is a saying: Divine justice may be delayed, but it is never mistaken. And so it was. In 2020, the glorious Azerbaijani Army took its revenge. The sons of Azerbaijan, liberating their lands from occupation, demonstrated that the Armenians' strength is only sufficient against children and women, and they cannot fight against them. In 2023, not a single separatist remained in Khojaly. The Azerbaijani Army annihilated them.
Modern.az presents the war criminals who committed atrocities in the Khojaly tragedy and have since died.
Monte "Avo" Melkonyan
In 1990, Melkonyan came to Armenia and went to Karabakh with the aim of occupation. Monte Melkonyan, who was the commander of one of Armenia's front-line detachments during the occupation of Azerbaijan's Khojavand region, actively participated in the torture of Azerbaijanis taken captive during the Khojaly genocide. He was annihilated by our Army on June 12, 1993, in the village of Marzili, Aghdam.
Arkadi Ter-Tadevosyan
This terrorist, known as "Forest Fox," joined separatism in Karabakh in 1988 and actively participated in the military training of volunteers. In 1990, Ter-Tadevosyan, a member of the "Sasunlu Davit" terrorist group, was appointed head of a department of the Armenian Defense Committee in 1991.
The attack on Khojaly by Armenian armed forces on February 26, 1992, was planned by General Arkadi Ter-Tadevosyan, known as "Forest Fox." He had prepared this operation within 3 weeks. Tadevosyan died in Yerevan on March 31, 2021, some time after witnessing Azerbaijan's victory in the Patriotic War.
Manvel Qriqoryan
Manvel Qriqoryan was born on July 14, 1956, in the village of Körpəli, located in the Armavir province of the Armenian SSR. Qriqoryan is one of those who participated in the Khojaly genocide. In 1993, he was appointed commander of the 83rd brigade of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. During his command, he plundered the properties of Azerbaijani citizens and tortured civilians during the occupation of Jabrayil and Fuzuli.
In an interview given to the Armenian-language bureau of Radio Free Europe in November 2014, Qriqoryan openly stated that he returned from the First Karabakh War with hundreds of Azerbaijani hostages and even used them for labor in his private home.
Qriqoryan was arrested by the National Security Service at his home in Üçkilsə on June 16, 2018. He was accused of illegal possession of weapons and ammunition and corruption allegations. On June 18, 2018, Hikmat Hajiyev, head of the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, publicly disclosed Manvel Qriqoryan's crimes committed during the First Karabakh War. He returned to Karabakh again in October 2020. Subsequently, amidst the successes of our Army, he fled back to Yerevan. His condition worsened there, and he died on November 19.
Astvatsatur Petrosyan
Astvatsatur Petrosyan, born in 1953, served as Armenia's Deputy Minister of Defense from 1992 to 2000. In 1992, he was one of those who led the occupation of Khojaly city. He is considered a key participant in the Khojaly massacre. He died on November 24, 2020. Local media reported that he died unable to bear Armenia's defeat in the 44-day war.
Rüstəm Qasparyan
Rüstəm Qasparyan, known as the commander of the Armenian army's "Black Panther" volunteer detachment, was one of the participants in the massacre committed in Khojaly during the First Karabakh War.
He sustained a severe shrapnel wound during the 44-day war in 2020. Qasparyan, who was transported from Khankendi to Yerevan, died a day later. Additionally, Qasparyan's 29-year-old son was also annihilated along with him. Armen Isaqulov, who served as the head of the internal affairs department of the so-called "NKR" from 1991-1995, is also considered one of the participants in the Khojaly tragedy. He died in Moscow in 2021. Furthermore, some war criminals who participated in the Khojaly genocide are currently facing justice in court. The former leaders of the self-proclaimed republic, Bako Saakyan and Arkadi Ghukasyan, who led the attack operation on Khojaly in 1992, were captured during an anti-terrorist operation in September 2023. On February 5, 2026, they were each sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment by the Baku Military Court. However, there are individuals who actively participated in the Khojaly genocide and remain at large today. This list includes Serzh Sargsyan, Robert Kocharyan, Seyran Ohanyan, Samvel Babayan, Vitaly Balasanyan, and others. They are not awaiting a peaceful death, but rather a fair trial and punishment before an Azerbaijani court.
