Azerbaijan destroys another Armenian church in Artsakh

The Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW) has documented the destruction of St. Sargis Armenian church in the Azerbaijani-held Hadrut region of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).

CHW released a new report on satellite monitoring of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday, saying it documented one destroyed church, one damaged historic bridge as well as seven threatened churches and cemeteries in the past year.

“The destruction of the 18th-19th Armenian church (St. Sargis) in Susanlyg/Mokhrenes of Khojavend (Arm. Hadrut), reported last month, represents the first major violation of the Dec. 2021 International Court of Justice (ICJ) provisional measure that ordered Azerbaijan to prevent and punish such abuses,” the watchdog said in a tweet.

CHW is also concerned about earthmoving in close proximity to heritage sites. On July 25, it tweeted the threat to St. Yeghisha Church of Mataghis.

“Today we sound an alarm about Zorakhach’ church in Arikli/Arakhish, now at risk due to roadwork. The church is thought to date to the 17th or 18th c. judging by its architecture and gravestones reused in its walls,” it said, urging the Azerbaijani authorities to follow best practices in preservation and conserve historic Armenian sites before construction.

NEW REPORT: Today we release a new report on satellite monitoring of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh. In the past year, we have documented 1 destroyed church, 1 damaged historic bridge, and 7 threatened churches & cemeteries. See 2-page overview. https://t.co/UJ6xel7LBE 1/5 pic.twitter.com/5bJVLkzWjO

— CaucasusHeritageWatch (@CaucasusHW) October 11, 2022