Azerbaijan destroys Pantheon of Heroes in Stepanakert

The Azerbaijani authorities continue with their policy of destroying memorial complexes honoring fallen heroes in occupied Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), warns Cultural Ombudsman of the Armenian Highlands Hovik Avanesov.

“The Pantheon of Heroes in Stepanakert has become yet another target of this policy, as evidenced by reports on Azerbaijani Telegram channels,” he wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

The expert highlights that Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict prohibits any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation of, and any acts of vandalism directed against, cultural property.

Furthermore, the first Hague Protocol of 1954 explicitly forbids the destruction of cultural or spiritual heritage in occupied territories.