Bloody January (Bloody January)

Bloody January (Bloody January, 20 January) is the name given to the events that occurred during the night of 19 January 1990 to 20 January 1990, when a Soviet military force of 26,000 troops intervened in Baku and several other cities of Azerbaijan. During the intervention, armored vehicles entered Baku from five directions; unarmed civilians were shot at; tanks and heavy armored vehicles were driven into civilian crowds; and ambulances and passenger buses were fired upon. On 19 January 1990, the power supply to Azerbaijan Television was destroyed, disrupting broadcasting and information services.

^{Bloody January Events} (AA)

The number of casualties and victims reported in these events varies across different sources. According to data from the Anatolia Agency, 147 civilians lost their lives during the Bloody January events, approximately 400 people were detained by the Soviet military, and 744 were injured.^【1】

After the intervention, the bodies were gathered at Freedom Square in Baku and buried in Dağüstü Park. This park was later transformed into a memorial site known as the Martyrs’ Lane. Bloody January is regarded as a historic turning point that undermined trust in Soviet rule in Azerbaijan and accelerated the independence process.

^{Azerbaijani People Burying Their Martyrs} (AA)

The path leading to Bloody January was shaped by rising political and social tensions in Azerbaijan beginning in 1987. During this period, mass displacements occurred as Azerbaijanis were forcibly removed from their historical settlements in Armenia; efforts to detach Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan and attach it to Armenia gained momentum. Escalating clashes in the Nagorno-Karabakh region contradicted Soviet authorities’ decisions and instead fostered an environment of local insecurity and mass mobilization.

1988 marked a turning point with the emergence of large-scale protests and rallies. Mass gatherings were held in Baku and other centers; the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, Soviet policy toward the region, and Armenian territorial claims became the dominant public agenda. Simultaneously, opposition organizations gained strength, and the Azerbaijan Popular Front was established as a mass political movement with the goal of independence. Efforts to restructure the administration of Nagorno-Karabakh failed to ease tensions; on 12 January 1989, the establishment of a “special committee” under Moscow’s direct control to manage the region further intensified the political dimension of the crisis.

By the end of 1989, initiatives to unite Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia gained prominence. These developments expanded the wave of protests in Baku. Freedom Square became the primary venue for rallies attended by hundreds of thousands. Demonstrations continued as a means of expressing opposition to Armenian territorial claims and Soviet authority.

^{Azerbaijani People at Freedom Square} (AA)

By January 1990, tensions escalated rapidly. On 2 January 1990, unrest in Khojali spiraled out of control, prompting the Soviet leadership to decide on intervention. On 4 January, the closure of Azerbaijan’s borders to foreign media marked one of the first steps. On 9 January, Armenia’s declaration that it was incorporating the “Karabakh” region into its own “economic plan” triggered a new crisis. Protests intensified; on 13 January 1990, various actions took place in Baku. On 17 January, a new wave of mass rallies began. During these demonstrations, demands included an end to Armenia’s territorial claims and the deployment of military units to conflict zones.

The persistence of rallies and the establishment of barricades in various parts of the city signaled that the Soviet regime had declared a state of emergency. On 19 January 1990, a state of emergency was declared in Baku, with implementation scheduled to begin at 00:00 on 20 January. That same evening, the energy infrastructure of Azerbaijan Television was bombed, cutting off broadcasts; this development effectively halted the flow of information before the impending military intervention on the night of 19 to 20 January. During this period, security measures went beyond administrative actions. Military deployments and intervention preparations became evident in the city. As the hour of the state of emergency approached, the disruption of information flow coincided with a simultaneous hardening of social mobilization and security measures.

On the night of 19 to 20 January 1990, a Soviet military force of 26,000 troops entered Baku from five directions using armored vehicles. During the intervention, unarmed civilians attempting to block entry into the city were shot at. Tanks and heavy armored vehicles were deployed along routes crowded with civilians. In the later hours of the intervention, ambulances and passenger buses were also fired upon. Civilians were killed in Baku during the night of the events.

^{Destruction by the Soviet Army} (AA)

The intervention was not limited to Baku. Soviet units also conducted operations in other settlements such as Neftchala and Lenkaran. After the intervention, the Soviet regime established de facto control over the city. Nevertheless, social mobilization continued; preparations began for the removal and mass burial of bodies. During the Bloody January events, 147 civilians lost their lives, approximately 400 people were detained by the Soviet military, and 744 were injured.

^{Funeral Ceremony Organized by the Azerbaijani People for the Martyrs} (AA)

Despite the state of emergency and military control imposed after the intervention, public resistance persisted. The removal and burial of the deceased took on the form of a broad public mobilization. The bodies were gathered at Freedom Square in Baku and carried on people’s shoulders to the burial site.

Dağüstü Park was chosen as the burial site. This area, previously the resting place of Azerbaijanis killed in the March 1918 attacks and later converted into a park during the Soviet era, became the location where the bodies were laid side by side. Over time, the site transformed into a memorial known as the Martyrs’ Lane. It is estimated that between one and two million people participated in the funeral ceremonies.

Commemorative practices for the anniversary of 20 January have become institutionalized. Every year on 20 January, the Martyrs’ Lane is visited with red carnations, symbolizing the victims. At 12:00 noon, a one-minute silence is observed nationwide. Vehicle horns are sounded, and national flags are lowered to half-mast. These practices underscore that 20 January is one of Azerbaijan’s central days of national mourning and collective memory.

^{Remembering the Martyrs of 20 January at Martyrs’ Lane} (AA)

Bloody January was a historic turning point that shattered trust in Soviet rule in Azerbaijan and strengthened the political will for independence. The military intervention of 19–20 January 1990 was carried out to suppress mass protests in Baku and quell the rising demand for national freedom. Instead, it produced the opposite effect: rather than causing retreat, it reinforced political resolve and a sense of unity within society.

Following the events, the national liberation movement in Azerbaijan acquired broad-based legitimacy. Political struggle moved beyond protest and became a concrete social and political reality centered on the goal of an independent state. This transformation led to the perception of 20 January not merely as a day of mourning but as a threshold at which the idea of independence gained social legitimacy.

Another dimension linked to the independence process is the official political and legal assessment of the events at the state level. In 1994, the National Assembly passed a resolution classifying the 20 January intervention as a military attack and crime aimed at crushing the national liberation movement and breaking the will of the people.^【2】

20 January is regularly commemorated in Türkiye within the framework of historical, cultural, and political ties. Commemorative activities are organized by state institutions, diplomatic missions, civil society organizations, and diaspora associations in various cities across Türkiye. These events recognize 20 January as a day of mourning and solidarity for the civilians who lost their lives in Azerbaijan’s struggle for independence.

^{Commemoration Program by the Azerbaijan House of Iğdır on the Anniversary of 20 January} (AA)

The commemoration of 20 January in Türkiye has also received recognition at the highest state level. In statements made by President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the martyrs of 20 January who died for Azerbaijan’s independence have been honored with mercy, and Türkiye’s unwavering solidarity with Azerbaijan has been reaffirmed. These statements demonstrate that 20 January is recognized in Türkiye as a historical event embraced within the official narrative.^【3】