Azerbaijan desecrates cemetery of fallen freedom fighters 

ArmInfo.  Azerbaijan has desecrated a cemetery for fallen azamartik (liberator soldiers) in the village of Vaguas in the Martaker region of the Republic of Artsakh. Artsakh Cultural Heritage Ombudsman and Vice President of the Azgayin Historical and Cultural NGO, Hovik Avanesov, reported this on his  Facebook page.

He noted that a study and analysis of the video published on social  media, in the context of the destruction of cultural heritage, ethnic  hatred, and gross violations of international humanitarian law,  reveals a number of extremely disturbing and reprehensible  manifestations. First and foremost, he noted, the evidence of ethnic  and religious persecution is clear. "The inscriptions on Armenian  tombstones and images of fallen liberator soldiers demonstrate that  the target was not just a cemetery, but a place significant to  Armenian identity, national memory, and spiritual heritage. This is  not ordinary vandalism, but a deliberate act rooted in ethnic hatred,  the purpose of which is to destroy the Armenian trace and erase  historical memory," the NKR Cultural Heritage Ombudsman emphasized.

He also noted that the actions captured on video are exceptionally  cynical and sacrilegious: the author of the video deliberately walks  on tombstones, steps on portraits of the deceased, strikes them, and  desecrates them. Such behavior, Avanesov noted, is a deliberate  display of disrespect for the memory of the dead, the sanctity of the  ritual process, and human dignity. According to him, these actions  contradict not only international legal norms but also the most basic  principles of universal morality.

"The video also clearly shows numerous broken, displaced, and damaged  tombstones, indicating that the cemetery was subjected to systematic  and deliberate destruction. The extent and nature of the damage  indicate not an isolated incident, but a policy of deliberate  destruction of cultural heritage. Such actions against Armenian  cultural monuments and memorial sites in the territories temporarily  occupied by the dictatorial Baku regime have long been ongoing and  systemic," the Artsakh Cultural Heritage Ombudsman noted.

In this context, he said, the psychological terror component is also  dangerous and reprehensible, as the dissemination of such videos on  social media, as well as the expressions used in the Azerbaijani  language, demonstrate that the incident is aimed not only at erasing  traces of the Armenian cultural presence, but also at exerting  psychological pressure on the relatives of the victims, the forcibly  displaced Artsakh residents, and Armenian society as a whole.  According to the Ombudsman, this is an attempt to create an  atmosphere of open humiliation, fear, and helplessness, which also  has a propagandistic nature.

He noted that this is not the first recorded case of desecration of  the memory of those who died defending the homeland in the village of  Vaguas. According to him, on January 5, 2024, the Artsakh State  Service for the Protection of the Historical Environment reported  that Azerbaijani soldiers had destroyed a khachkar erected in 2021 in  memory of Mkhitar Aghabekyan, who died during the large-scale war  unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in 2020.

He noted that more than a dozen similar cases have already been  recorded in various settlements of Artsakh, demonstrating a  systematic process of cultural genocide. In this context, Avanesov  noted, the silence and inadequate response of the international  community continue to deepen the climate of impunity.  "Meanwhile,  such actions must receive a clear political, legal, and moral  assessment. When the graves of the fallen and places of national  remembrance are targeted, not only the rights of one people are  threatened, but also the universal values on which the existence of  the civilized world is based," the Artsakh Cultural Heritage  Ombudsman concluded.

Since the occupation of Artsakh, Azerbaijan has completely destroyed  or significantly damaged the following cultural and religious sites.  The Kanach Jam (Surb Hovhannes Mkrtich) Church in Shushi was  completely destroyed in April 2024, the Ghazanchetsots Cemetery in  Shushi was completely destroyed, the village of Karintak was  completely bulldozed, and monuments and busts in Stepanakert,  including those to Charles Aznavour, Hovhannes Aivazovsky, Hovhannes  Tumanyan, and Marshal Baghramyan, were dismantled. The Marshal  Khudyakov Museum in the village of Mets Tager was destroyed. Today,  approximately 4,000 Armenian cultural sites remain under Azerbaijani  control, including more than 370 churches and 119 ancient fortresses.