A rally commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the 1992 massacre of Azerbaijani civilians and armed troops by local irregular Armenian forces and the 366th Commonwealth of Independent States Guards Motor Rifle Regiment took place in Istanbul on 26 February 2012.

[2] The demonstration with slogan "We are all from Khojaly" (Azerbaijani: "Hamımız Xocalılıyıq", Turkish: "Hepimiz Hocalılıyız")[3] started in front of Galatasaray High School[4] and lasted several hours in Taksim Square (Istanbul, Turkey) with around 200,000 participants.

[15] The Istanbul police dispatched heavy security to the French Cultural Center on İstiklal Avenue, where demonstrators were marching, fearing possible attacks on the building.

[19] Istanbul governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu attended the rally, and it was addressed by the Turkish Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin who said: "There has never been a stage for such a courageous, honoured, determined, peaceful and brotherly meeting.

[42] The Union of Socialist Azerbaijanis of Turkey issued a statement noting that the events surrounding the Khojali demonstrations should not be used "as a tool to deny the Armenian genocide".

[43][44][45] On February 27, the head of Parliament's Human Rights Commission, Ayhan Sefer Ustun, called on Turkey's prosecutors to take action against protesters who held up racist signs at the rally.