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Azerbaijan Destroys Stepanakert Cathedral and Irreplaceable Armenian Sacred Art
The destruction of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral in Stepanakert also wiped out significant works of Armenian sacred art, including a set of handcrafted entrance doors created specifically for the church by artist and sculptor Robert Askaryan. The cathedral was completely destroyed sometime between March 3 and April 2, 2026, according to satellite monitoring cited by Artsakh Cultural Heritage Ombudsman Hovik Avanesov. Among the works lost were Askaryan’s entrance doors, whi
The Armenian Report Team
2 hours ago
Trump Urged to Press Azerbaijan to Release 19 Armenian Prisoners
President Donald Trump should use Washington’s growing influence in the South Caucasus to push Azerbaijan to release 19 Armenian prisoners still held in Baku, foreign policy analyst Darren G. Spinck argues, calling their continued detention a major unresolved test of the U.S.-backed Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process. Spinck, managing director of Janus Forum and a non-resident fellow at the Danube Institute, made the case in an opinion column published by The Washington Times.
The Armenian Report Team
Aug 21
‘Imprisoned, but Not on Our Knees’: POW Davit Babayan Speaks From Azerbaijani Custody
Former Artsakh Foreign Minister Davit Babayan has accused Azerbaijan’s courts of staging a predetermined legal process against him and other imprisoned Armenian officials, saying the record of the proceedings will now form part of their case before international courts. Babayan made the allegations in a message sent from Azerbaijani custody through his family and provided to News.am. His remarks came after an appeals court upheld the verdicts against him and other former Arts
The Armenian Report Team
Aug 19
Azerbaijan Destroys Prominent Armenian Cathedral in Stepanakert, Artsakh
Azerbaijan has destroyed a prominent Armenian cathedral in Stepanakert, with satellite imagery showing the church was demolished between March 3 and April 2, 2026, according to an Armenian cultural heritage specialist monitoring endangered sites across Artsakh. Hovik Avanesov, the Cultural Heritage Ombudsman of Artsakh and vice president of the Azgayin Cultural-Historical NGO, identified the destroyed building as the Holy Mother of God Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral o
The Armenian Report Team
Aug 12
Expedia, Viator and European Travel Platforms Sell Tours Through Artsakh After 2023 Armenian Exodus
Major international booking platforms are selling trips to Stepanakert, Shushi and other parts of Artsakh, often giving travelers little information about the Armenian population that lived there before Azerbaijan occupied the entire region in 2023. Less than three years after more than 120,000 Armenians were forced from Artsakh, international travel companies are selling day trips through cities where Armenians lived until Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military offensive. Expe
The Armenian Report Team
Aug 11
Baku Appeals Court Upholds Life Sentences for Former Artsakh Leaders and Other Armenian Prisoners
A court in Azerbaijan has upheld the convictions and prison sentences of former Artsakh leaders and other Armenian prisoners, rejecting their appeals and leaving in place the harsh penalties imposed earlier this year. According to Azerbaijani media, the Baku Court of Appeals ruled on Aug. 6 to uphold the Feb. 5 verdicts issued by the Baku Military Court. The appeals filed by former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, former Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, Par
“The Verdict Was Decided Long Ago”: POW Davit Ishkhanyan Says Baku Appeal Was a Political Trial
Davit Ishkhanyan, the former speaker of Artsakh’s National Assembly who is being held in Baku, said the outcome of his appeal had been decided before the judges began deliberations, describing the case as a political prosecution rather than a legitimate judicial process. In a message released after the latest court hearing, Ishkhanyan said Azerbaijan’s Court of Appeal had formally withdrawn to consider its ruling, but argued that the panel had no real role in determining the
Marriott Removes Controversial Artsakh Tour After Global Armenian Advocacy Campaign
Marriott Bonvoy has removed a controversial tourism package to Azerbaijan-occupied Artsakh after a five-day international advocacy campaign led by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), Armenian National Committee organizations around the world and coalition partners. The tour, which had been available through Marriott’s activities platform and was eligible for Marriott Bonvoy rewards points, offered travelers a guided visit to occupied Artsakh, including the citi
Ruben Vardanyan Takes 20-Year Azerbaijan Prison Sentence to European Court of Human Rights
Former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan has taken his case to the European Court of Human Rights. This is his first international legal challenge to the 20-year prison sentence handed down by an Azerbaijani military court earlier this year. The application was filed July 19 by human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, who represents Armenian detainees before the Strasbourg-based court. In a statement published on Vardanyan's official Facebook page, Sahakyan said she will a
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 22
Armenian General Jailed in Azerbaijan Urges Pashinyan to Publicly Reject Baku’s 2020 War Claims
An Armenian general imprisoned in Azerbaijan has called on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to publicly reject Baku’s accusations that Armenia planned and waged an aggressive war in 2020. Maj. Gen. Davit Manukyan made the appeal in a message sent from prison in Baku and obtained by Pastinfo. He said one of the charges against him centers on the planning, preparation and conduct of the September 2020 war. At the time, Pashinyan was serving as Armenia’s prime minister and command
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 20
Aliyev Defends Ethnic Cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh, Renews Demands on Armenia
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev used an international media forum in Shushi to defend his government's ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, criticize Western institutions and repeat long-standing demands on Armenia, the United States and Europe, while ironically insisting that peace in the South Caucasus must be built on international law. The appearance came one day after Aliyev delivered a more confrontational message during a meeting with settlers of villages in the oc
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 13
Ruben Vardanyan to Take Case Against Azerbaijan to European Court of Human Rights
Former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan is preparing to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights after his legal team finally obtained the written verdict issued by an Azerbaijani military court, clearing the way for an international appeal. Vardanyan, a philanthropist and businessman, has been held in Azerbaijani custody for nearly three years. In February, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison following a trial that Armenia and his lawyers have repeatedly
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 10
POW David Ishkhanyan Says Azerbaijani Officials Claim Armenia Is Not Seeking Prisoners’ Return
Former Artsakh National Assembly Speaker David Ishkhanyan, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence handed down by a military court in Azerbaijan, says his appeal has little chance of changing the outcome but remains necessary to eventually bring his case before international courts. In a statement from Baku prison, Ishkhanyan said the appellate proceedings are largely procedural and that he does not expect the original verdict to be overturned. He said he and his legal team
Aliyev Says Azerbaijan Will ‘Never Forget’ Destruction of Mosques Despite Documented Erasure of Armenian Heritage in Artsakh
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has renewed accusations against Armenians over the alleged destruction of mosques during the decades-long conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, declaring that Azerbaijan would “never forget” what he described as the devastation inflicted on Azerbaijani cities and cultural sites, despite ongoing international concerns and documented reports regarding the destruction and alteration of Armenian cultural and religious heritage sites that have come und
The Armenian Report Team
Jun 18
U.S. House Committee Backs Amendment Calling for Release of Armenian Prisoners Held by Azerbaijan
A bipartisan initiative in the U.S. House of Representatives is gaining momentum in support of Armenian prisoners held by Azerbaijan, as lawmakers advance an amendment calling for their immediate and unconditional release. The amendment, introduced by Congressional Armenian Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Brad Sherman of California, was approved during a markup session of the House Foreign Affairs Committee as part of legislation to update the U.S. Foreign Service Act. The measure rec
The Armenian Report Team
Jun 10
“Historic Disgrace”: Armenia Court Strips Artsakh Government of Its Last Official Presence in Yerevan
Armenia’s Administrative Court has ruled that the government authorities of the Republic of Artsakh no longer legally own their longtime representation building in Yerevan, siding with Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office in a decision that effectively transfers control of the property back under Armenian state authority. The ruling means that the Republic of Artsakh has effectively lost ownership of the building that for years served as its official representation in Armeni
The Armenian Report Team
May 26
International Human Rights Defenders Nominate Armenian POW and Philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan for Prestigious Václav Havel Human Rights Prize
Ruben Vardanyan, the former State Minister of Artsakh who is currently being held in a prison in Baku, has been nominated for the 2026 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize by a group of international human rights defenders and humanitarian figures. According to the statement released by the nominating group, the nomination is based on Vardanyan’s contributions to global human rights efforts through the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, as well as his public advocacy for the rights o
The Armenian Report Team
May 18
Armenian POW in Azerbaijan Appeals to World Over Alleged Rights Violations in Baku Trial, David Babayan Says Appeal Letters “Disappeared” in Azerbaijani Custody
Calling on the international community, human rights defenders, journalists, and democratic governments to pay attention to what he described as serious violations during ongoing court proceedings in Baku, former Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Foreign Minister David Babayan has issued a new public appeal from Azerbaijani captivity. The audio message was provided to NEWS.am through Babayan’s family. In the lengthy statement, Babayan said complaint letters addressed to the appellat
The Armenian Report Team
May 14
Cemetery of Fallen Armenian Soldiers Desecrated by Azerbaijanis in Occupied Artsakh
The office of the Cultural Heritage Ombudsman of Artsakh has raised alarm over what it described as a new case of vandalism targeting Armenian cultural and memorial heritage in the temporarily occupied territories of Artsakh. According to a statement released by Cultural Heritage Ombudsman of Artsakh and Vice President of the Azgayin Cultural-Historical NGO Hovik Avanesov, the latest incident involves the cemetery of fallen freedom fighters in the village of Vaghuhas in the M
The Armenian Report Team
May 13
Armenian Genocide Memorial Destroyed in Stepanakert as Experts Warn of Systematic Erasure Under Azerbaijan’s Occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh
A senior cultural heritage official from Artsakh has raised concern over new evidence showing the destruction of an Armenian memorial in Stepanakert, warning that the incident is part of a wider pattern targeting Armenian historical and cultural sites. Hovik Avanesov, the Ombudsman for the Cultural Heritage of Artsakh and Vice President of the “National” Historical and Cultural NGO, says new documentation points to the complete removal of a monument dedicated to the 100th ann
