May 28 - Independence Day in Azerbaijan: History and Significance

Today is Independence Day in Azerbaijan.

Idman.Biz reports that 108 years have passed since the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), the first secular democratic state in the Muslim East, on May 28, 1918.

The establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was declared on May 28, 1918, in Tbilisi, in the building of the Caucasian Governor-General, by the Azerbaijan National Council, chaired by Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh.

For a long time, Azerbaijan was a colony of Tsarist Russia. However, the Azerbaijani people have always fought for freedom and independence.

The newly established Azerbaijan Democratic Republic honorably fulfilled the difficult historical task it undertook. The first Parliament and Government of Azerbaijan, the state apparatus were organized, the country's borders were determined, its flag, anthem and coat of arms were created, the native language was declared the state language, serious measures were taken in the field of army building, and special attention was paid to the development of education and culture. The first university of Azerbaijan was founded, education was nationalized, and works of exceptional importance from the point of view of the history of social thought, which prepared the ground for the cultural rise of the people in the following years, were carried out.

Based on the principles of people's power and equality of people from the first days of its existence, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic eliminated racial, national, religious, and class inequality by granting equal rights to all citizens of the country.

The ADR was the first democratic republic not only in Azerbaijan, but in the entire East. However, the ADR lived only 23 months. On April 28, 1920, the 11th Army of the Bolsheviks occupied Azerbaijan, and the first republic fell.

Independence Day was called Republic Day from 1991 to 2021. At the plenary session of the National Assembly on October 15, 2021, a new law "On Independence Day" was adopted. On the same day, the law "On Independence Day" was approved by President Ilham Aliyev.

With the approval of the law, the name of May 28 - Republic Day was changed to Independence Day. Independence Day in Azerbaijan is a non-working day and is celebrated as a holiday every year. This holiday is celebrated for the sixth year in the territories liberated from occupation.