Azerbaijan Embassy donates appliances to Sebeta School for the Blind

As the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan commemorates the 27th anniversary of Black January, the military invasion and vicious killing of civilians who struggled for their freedom and independence, it donated appliances to Sebeta School for the Blind.
On January 20, 2017, the Embassy handed white canes (a mobility tool used by people who are blind or visually impaired) slates and styluses (writing tools for visually impaired persons) to the Principal, staff and students of the school.
Established back in 1956 E.C, the school has seen so many bright and brave blind children change their lives for the better, according to Mr. Abera Mamo, Principal of Sebeta School for the Blind. Now it needs serous help as it is facing more and more challenges time and again, said the principal. “We need numbers of supports from those who can and have the interest to,” he said.
The Soviet leadership ordered some 26,000 troops with heavy military equipment to storm the city of Baku in an operation called “Strike” on January 20, 1990 and brutally killed more than 147 civilians in the city of Baku. The heavy-handed crackdown, which took place in response to the rising national independence movement, also caused injury for thousands while five others went missing.
The invasion came after the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR imposed a curfew without the consent of Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijani SSR a day earlier. Troops entered Baku without informing the local population of the curfew and its rules. To make it worse, the local population was deprived of access to information about the entry of the troops as the Soviet Army attacked the state TV building, cutting of national TV and radio broadcast and preventing the dissemination of news. The invasion, which was launched at midnight, was committed with particular violence against children, women and the elderly.
Even though Azerbaijani people suffered great losses from the tragedy of 20 January its pride and dignity remained untainted. Black January was a turning point in the history of Azerbaijan and proved to be a vivid manifestation of the bravery and determination of its people in defending their national identity since it brought a 70-year Soviet rule in Azerbaijan to an end and led to the restoration of its national independence.
To commemorate the memory of Azerbaijanis heroically perished in this tragedy, the “Alley of Martyrs” has been laid out at the highest point of the capital city of Baku. People from all over the country paid visit to the Alley to honor and revere the victims of those events that paved the way for the independence and prosperity of the Republic of Azerbaijan today.