An event was held at Sumgayit State University (SSU) to mark the 35th anniversary of the January 20 tragedy, one of the most terrible events of the 20th century. The participants of the event first laid flowers in front of the monument erected in the university courtyard in memory of the graduate martyrs who died for the territorial integrity and independence of our country. Then the participants viewed the photo exhibition set up in the university lobby. During the event that continued in the assembly hall, the dear memory of our martyrs was commemorated with a minute of silence. Speaking about the essence of the tragedy and its causes, Rector Rufat Azizov recalled the events that occurred on the night of January 19-20, 1990, and spoke about the crimes committed against peaceful residents fighting for the sovereignty and freedom of Azerbaijan. He noted that the events of January 20 were the beginning of the path leading Azerbaijan to independence, and the first political and legal assessment of this bloody tragedy was given by the national leader Heydar Aliyev. Rufat Azizov noted that with the victory won by the Azerbaijani army under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, our tricolor flag is flying today in Karabakh, Shusha, and everywhere in our independent and strong country. Then a video clip was shown about the January 20 tragedy. At the event, Professor Shirkhan Salimov, Head of the Department of History of Azerbaijan and Eastern European Peoples, delivered a report on the topic ‘The January 20 tragedy is a terrible crime committed against the Azerbaijani people and humanity’. Around the report, Jeyhun Gasimbeyli, a teacher of the same department, spoke on the topics ‘January 20 is the peak of the struggle for independence’, and Zahid Bunyadov, a senior teacher of the Department of Philosophy, Sociology and Political Science, spoke on the topics ‘National Leader Heydar Aliyev's political assessment of the January 20 events’ and talked about the processes that led to the Bloody January events and the heroism of the people.