The Turkic Council on Wednesday marked the 31st anniversary of Black January, a violent crackdown on people in the Azerbaijani capital Baku during the dissolution of Soviet Unìon.

"On the occasion of the Jan. 20, 1990 Baku massacre, known as the Black January, the Turkic Council respectfully commemorate all the heroic people of Azerbaijan who sacrificed their lives for the sake of their homeland, we bow respectfully in front of the memory of the saints," the council said on Twitter.

On Jan. 20, under direct instructions from Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the State Security Committee and Ministry of Internal Affairs entered Baku and nearby regions, massacring the civilian population using heavy military equipment and other weaponry.

Mass arrests accompanied the illegal deployment of troops and subsequent military intervention.

Seen as the rebirth of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Black January witnessed the massacre of 150 people in Baku, on the eve of the country’s independence.