A memorial plaque dedicated to the Azerbaijani prisoners held in the Nazi concentration camp was unveiled in Germany on Sunday at the initiative of Azerbaijan’s Embassy in the country.
The plaque, installed on the wall of the Sachsenhausen Memorial Complex, was unveiled by Nasimi Aghayev, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Germany, and Axel Drecoll, Head of the Sachsenhausen Memorial Complex.
Addressing the event, Ambassador Nasimi Aghayev highlighted Azerbaijan’s unparalleled contributions to the victory over fascism. According to him, 700,000 Azerbaijanis fought on the frontline, with 300,000 dying on the battlefield during World War II. He underscored that Azerbaijan was also instrumental on the home front, supplying 80 percent of the gasoline used by the Soviet Army.
The diplomat further emphasized that investigating the fate of Azerbaijanis held in German concentration camps during World War II is one of the Embassy’s prime objectives. He also extended gratitude to the leadership of the Sachsenhausen Memorial Complex for its tireless efforts aimed at perpetuating the memory of the prisoners held in the camp.
Axel Drecoll, Head of the Sachsenhausen Memorial Complex, underscored that despite 80 years passing since the liberation of the camp, the fates and identities of most of the prisoners who were detained, tortured, and killed there still remain unknown, adding that progress is underway to address this matter.
More than 200,000 people were imprisoned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands died as a result of hunger, disease, forced labour, medical experiments, mistreatment, or were victims of systematic extermination operations carried out by the SS. The camp was liberated by the Soviet Army and Polish armed groups in 1945.
Emil Movsum
Special Correspondent
