March 31, 1918 went down in the history of Azerbaijan as one of the most terrible pages. Tsar’s Russia, the military-feudal colonial regime aiming to destroy the ancient statehood traditions of our nation, as well the national-moral consciousness of colony nations, committed the next merciless massacre against our people through its “slaves”. 
 
As a result of the policy of mass deportation of Armenians to South Caucasus by Peter I and continuation of this tradition later, Russia carried out its offensive goals via Armenians, which were increasing in the region. This genocide was sourced from the one purpose only: oppressing Azerbaijanis to leave South Caucasus and completely cleansing this territory of Turkic-Muslim population. And it is not all. It was a historical dream to Russia to seize Iran and Turkey and expand to India via hot seas. Pursuing just for this purpose the policy of mass Christianization and Russianization of population using Armenians resettled in Caucasus, Russia stirred up hostility between these nations to keep them dependent. 

To prevent the rising national liberty ideas of the Azerbaijani people after the October events of 1917 Russia once again applied this method. Defeated by Musavat party in the elections to the Baku Soviet, Bolsheviks started getting worried about the growing influence of Musavat, also their fight for territorial autonomy and political power. Just to weaken the social basis of Musavat and break its will to fight for the national freedom, genocide of Turkic-Muslim population in Baku was committed under the leadership of S.Shaumyan, the chairman of the Baku People’s Commissars Soviet.

Armenians as usual were the major power in genocide and “Dashnaksutun” was the force of blow of Bolsheviks. About three fourth of “Red army” organized by Shaumyan comprised Armenians. Artificially disarming the crew of vessel “Evelina” and provoking a conflict to carry out genocide, Armenians, on this pretext, started massacring Muslims on March 31, 1918.   

Armenians, which consider it an honor to kill people under torture, used, this time too, ruthless methods of torture against civilians, cut women, elderly and children with dagger, cut ears, noses of people, nailed them on walls alive and did other inhuman things. Genocide, which was committed also in Shamakhy, Guba, Garabagh, Zangazur, Nakhchyvan, Lankaran and other places, left over 12.000 dead in Baku, 7000 in Shamakhy, 3257 men, 2276 women and 2196 children in Zangazur, as well 122 villages in Guba, 150 in Garadagh and 115 in Zangazur were completely destroyed.

However, it all could not break the will of struggle of the Azerbaijani nation. On the contrary, till then the people of Azerbaijan demanded only the national-local autonomy under Russia, but after genocide the independence ideas strengthened. This genocide functioned as a catalyst for people to come together and build their independent state. And the result confirmed it completely, since only 2 months after the March stories Azerbaijan joined its independence and reached its goal establishing the first republic in the east. 

Laman Khalilova,
Activist, "Azerbaijan Realities" group.