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AzerNews (31 March 2026)

The memory of March in the Azerbaijani consciousness is a complex tapestry woven with threads of profound grief and unbreakable resilience. As we stand in the spring of 2026, the dates of March 31st serve as a somber bridge between two eras: the systematic ethnic cleansing of 1918 and the harrowing "Tunnel" massacre of 1993 in Kalbajar. Yet, today, these narratives of victimhood have been fundamentally transformed into a saga of restoration and sovereign strength. To understand the Azerbaijan of today, one must look deep into these scars, not merely as historical footnotes, but as the catalysts for the grand construction policy currently reshaping the liberated territories.

The tragedy of March 1918 remains a cornerstone of our national sorrow, representing a calculated attempt to erase the Azerbaijani identity from the map. Under the guise of revolutionary shifts, Bolshevik-Dashnak forces unleashed a wave of terror across Baku, Shamakhi, Guba, and beyond. This was not collateral damage of war; it was a pre-meditated genocide where tens of thousands were slaughtered for no crime other than their ethnicity. Historical reality reveals a chilling level of cruelty, from the burning of the Ismailiyya building to the desecration of holy sites. The Guba mass grave, discovered decades later, remains a silent, terrifying witness to this brutality, where the remains of women and children tell a story of a hatred that knew no bounds. For a century, this pain was suppressed, but today’s reality demands that we acknowledge these facts to ensure that "never again" is not just a slogan, but a state-guaranteed reality.

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