All monuments in Artsakh facing imminent destruction, ombudsman warns

Artsakh’s all surviving monuments are facing imminent destruction, raising fears of a cultural erasure comparable to the obliteration of Armenian heritage in Nakhichevan, Artsakh Cultural Heritage Ombudsman Hovik Avanesov warned on Monday.

Avanesov told Panorama.am during a protest outside Yerevan’s Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex that more than 10,000 registered and unregistered monuments in Artsakh are “all standing on the brink of annihilation.”

Since the outbreak of war in September 2020, Avanesov said, over 1,000 incidents of vandalism have been documented, targeting not only historic churches and architectural landmarks but also entire villages and neighborhoods. “The evidence indicates that we are witnessing one of the biggest cultural genocides of the 21st century,” he said. “If this trajectory continues unchecked, Artsakh will become a second Nakhichevan in a few years.”