This article was originally published in Russian by
Radio Azadliq.
***
December 12th, 2016 marks the 13
th
anniversary of the death of the former president of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev.
As reported by APA, on this day, in all regions of the country, including in the capital Baku, commemorative events are taking place.
Azerbaijani diaspora organizations active in countries overseas are also holding commemorative events in connection with the 13
th
anniversary of the death of the National Leader, Heydar Aliyev.
Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev was born on May 10, 1923 in the city of Nakhchivan. In 1944 he began work in the state security apparatus. In 1964 Heydar Aliyev was appointed to the post of deputy chair of the KGB, and in 1967 he was promoted to the post of Chairman of the KGB under the Soviet of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR, with the rank of Major General. In these years he received specialized higher education in Leningrad, and in 1957 graduated from the department of history at the Azerbaijan State University. In 1969 Heydar Aliyev became the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Azerbaijan SSR, having been elected to the Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. In 1982 Heydar Aliyev was elected a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, and appointed to the post of First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. In this way, he became one of the leaders of the former USSR. In October, 1987, as a sign of protest against the policies being implemented by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU and personally by General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, Heydar Aliyev resigned.
Representing Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev presented a statement in Moscow, in connection with the bloody tragedy perpetrated in Baku by Soviet troops on January 20, 1990, and demanded punishment for the organizers and perpetrators of crimes directed against the Azerbaijani people. In June 1991, Heydar Aliyev left the ranks of the CPSU as a sign of protest against the hypocritical policies of the leadership of the USSR in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Returning to Azerbaijan in July 1990, Heydar Aliyev lived first in Baku, then in Nakhchivan. In that same year he was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan. In 1991-1993 he held the post of chairman of the Supreme Assembly (
Məclis
) of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and deputy chair of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan Republic.
In 1992, at the founding congress of the New Azerbaijan Party (
Yeni Azərbaycan Partiyası
) in the city of Nakhchivan, Heydar Aliyev was elected party chairman. On June 15, 1993, Heydar Aliyev was elected chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan, and on July 24, by decree of the National Assembly (
Milli Məclis
) he began to fulfill the duties of President of the Azerbaijan Republic. On October 3, 1993, Heydar was elected president by a national vote, and on October 11, 1998, he was reelected to this post. Citing health reasons, he declined to participate in the presidential elections on October 15, 2003.
Heydar Aliyev died on December 12, 2003 in a clinic in the city of Cleveland (USA), where he underwent a long course of treatment.
