Khojaly, one of the ancient human sites in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and rich in historical monuments on November 26, 1991 got the status of the district. The area of the district was 0.97 sq/km, and the population was 24417 people. The district consisted of 1 town, 2 settlements and 50 villages. On the eve of the occupation by Armenia the population of Khojaly was 7 thousand people.

Armenian bandit formations with the support of the 366 motorized infantry regiment of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation committed genocide unprecedented in the 20th century. On February 25, 1992, in the evening at 21-00 Armenian armed forces, 366th regiment (three battalions), as well as hirelings brought from abroad, attacked Khojaly. As a result of military aggression, 613 people were killed, including 106 women, 63 under age children, 70 old people. More than 1,000 civilians, including 76 children were injured in various degrees, became disabled. 1275 people were taken prisoner, 8 families were completely destroyed, 25 children lost both parents, 130 children lost one parent and 56 people were killed with particular cruelty: they were burned alive, skin was removed from them, their eyes were put out, their heads were cut off and stomachs of pregnant women were stabbed.

The head of the special department No. 02270 of the 366th regiment Vladimir Savelyev who witnessed these events, in a report addressed to the Head Intelligence Office under the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, recognized the fact of the genocide committed against the Azerbaijani people:

“I could not help the eight or nine-year-old girl who received a gunshot wound. Since that day, I'm afraid of God's punishment. The accursed days followed each other.”

According to videotapes shot by Azerbaijani journalists Seyidagha Movsumlu and Chingiz Mustafayev, it can be established that among the killed, the majority were children from 2 to 15 years old. Former witness to the events the French journalist Jean Yves Yunet wrote:

I've heard a lot about wars, about the cruelty of the German fascists, but the Armenians have surpassed them, killing 5-6-year-old children, civilians.

On March 10, 1992, the Minister of the Interior Affairs of the Russian Federation Yerin sent a letter to the President of the Russian Federation B.Yeltsin with a request for a meeting and added to the letter cassettes about the events in Khojaly. General Erin wrote:

 “Children, women and old people were shot in Khojaly. The head of the dead were skinned off. “

In the videotape, the crimes of the 366th regiment were observed. After watching the videotapes B.Yeltsin signed a special order (0219/21-OD-1992.III.12), which prohibited viewing these video recordings on the territory of the Russian Federation.

On 1 March 1994, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, issued a special decree on the Khojaly genocide. By the decision of Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan February 26 was announced as the day of “Khojaly genocide and national sorrow” and all international organizations were informed about this. In accordance with this decision of the Milli Mejlis and the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, since February 25, 1997, a minute of silence was declared every February 26 at 17.00 on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan in honor of the memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide.

In 2009, on the initiative of Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Head of the Fund's Representative Office in the Russian Federation Leyla Aliyeva, the International propaganda and information campaign “Justice for Khojaly” was organized. In connection with the campaign “Justice for Khojaly” organized on the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, on February 13, 2014 the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a special order to hold events. Thanks to the successful propaganda campaign conducted in recent years in the international arena, the parliaments of many countries, having learned the truth about the crimes committed in Khojaly against the Azerbaijani people, recognized the fact of genocide.