January 14, 2008 - 12:31 AMT
18 years passed since Armenian pogroms in Baku
18 years have passed since the Armenian pogroms in Baku on January 13, 1990, known as Black January that claimed lives of 48 Armenians.

The pogroms grew into an anti-Soviet revolt ruled by the radical wing of the Azerbaijani National Front with Neymat Pakhanov and Ragim Gaziyev at the head.

On that day a 50 thousand crowd divided into groups and started "cleansing the city of Armenians". They threw the Armenians out of the windows and beat them to death. Those survived were taken to ferries and sent to Turkmenia.

January 16-19, a special group of 50 thousand military was formed. January 20, to suppress the disorders the Tula division under colonel Alexander Lebed's command was deployed in the Azerbaijani capital

Over 210 thousand Armenians had lived in Baku until 1988.