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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
11 hours ago
Pashinyan Says Beyond Hostages and Peace Deal, Armenia and Azerbaijan Must Build Lasting Relations
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia and Azerbaijan must move beyond a peace agreement, border delimitation, regional unblocking, trade and cooperation on captives and missing persons, arguing that lasting peace will require a fundamental change in relations between the two societies. Speaking at the National Assembly on Aug. 24 as he presented his government’s 2026-2031 program, Pashinyan said the “social and psychological” dimension of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations is
The Armenian Report Team
5 days ago
Armenian Officials Pressed by Ruben Vardanyan’s Wife and Attorney for Concrete Action on POWs Held in Azerbaijan
The wife of imprisoned Armenian businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan and a lawyer representing Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan have asked the Armenian government for more direct involvement in humanitarian issues affecting detainees, including medical care, family contact and conditions at Baku’s Umbaki prison complex. Veronika Zonabend and attorney Siranush Sahakyan met Aug. 17 with officials from Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, the Office of the Human Rights Defender
The Armenian Report Team
Aug 20
Azerbaijan Sues CNN After Network Refuses to Retract Claims Israel Used Its Territory During Iran War
Azerbaijan has taken CNN to court in the United States over a report alleging that Israeli military and intelligence teams operated from Azerbaijani territory during the June war with Iran, escalating a dispute over Baku’s role in the conflict. The lawsuit follows months of denials from Azerbaijani officials, who say the country has not allowed its territory to be used for military operations against neighboring Iran. Azerbaijan’s pro-government Report news agency said Tuesda
The Armenian Report Team
Aug 19
‘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
Pashinyan, Aliyev Hold Anniversary Call, Discuss Peace Process, TRIPP and Armenia-Azerbaijan Trade One Year After Washington Summit
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke by phone Saturday, one year after a U.S.-backed summit in Washington. The Aug. 8 call focused on the progress Armenia and Azerbaijan have made since the 2025 Washington summit, as well as expanding economic ties and plans for a new regional transit route, according to the Armenian government. Pashinyan and Aliyev met in Washington on Aug. 8, 2025, with the support of U.S. President Donald Tru
Azerbaijan Demands Armenia Rewrite Its Constitution Before Signing Peace Agreement
A senior aide to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Tuesday that Azerbaijan will not sign a final peace agreement with Armenia unless Yerevan changes its Constitution, reaffirming one of Baku’s key conditions for ending decades of conflict. Speaking to Turkey’s Haber Global television, Hikmet Hajiyev said Azerbaijan expects Armenia to remove what it considers constitutional provisions containing territorial claims against both Azerbaijan and Turkey. “We expect the provis
‘I Will Not Set Foot in Azerbaijan’: "Black Swan" Author Nassim Taleb Rejects Invitation Over Ruben Vardanyan’s Imprisonment
Internationally acclaimed author and risk analyst Nassim Nicholas Taleb says he has turned down an invitation to speak in Azerbaijan, saying he will not travel to the country while Armenian prisoner Ruben Vardanyan remains behind bars. Taleb disclosed his decision in a post on X, revealing that organizers increased their financial offer after his initial refusal. He said the higher speaking fee did nothing to change his position. "I was invited to Azerbaijan to give a lecture
Armenian Lawmaker Accuses Azerbaijan of Using Prague Exhibit to Advance Territorial Claims
An Armenian opposition lawmaker has accused Azerbaijan of using a public exhibition in the heart of Prague to advance territorial claims and recast Armenian cultural heritage as Azerbaijani, warning that such campaigns are gaining traction while Armenia remains largely silent on the international stage. Lilit Galstyan, a member of Armenia's National Assembly, said Azerbaijani organizations recently staged an open-air exhibition in Prague's central square featuring historical
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 31
Azerbaijan Upholds French Businessman's 10-Year Prison Sentence in Case Linked to the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
An Azerbaijani appeals court has upheld the 10-year prison sentence of French citizen Martin Ryan, rejecting his bid to overturn a conviction that has become one of the most contentious legal cases in the diplomatic standoff between Baku and Paris since the forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh in 2023. Ryan, a French businessman who managed the Azerbaijan-based company Merkorama LLC, was arrested by Azerbaijan's State Security Service on Dec. 4, 2023, alongside Azerb
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 30
Attorney Preparing U.N. Case as Armenian POW Ludwig Mkrtchyan Remains Cut Off From Family in Baku Prison
INTERVIEW: More than 40 days after Armenian prisoner of war Ludwig Mkrtchyan last spoke with his family, his attorney says she is preparing to take the case to the United Nations as Azerbaijani authorities remain silent over repeated humanitarian requests. Attorney Luciana Minassian told The Armenian Report that she is preparing to pursue Mkrtchyan's case before the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) following the lack of response to her recent appeal to Azerb
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 30
Armenian POW’s Lawyer Appeals to Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Commissioner as Family Endures Month Without Contact
An attorney representing Armenian prisoner Ludwig Mkrtchyan has appealed to Azerbaijan's human rights commissioner, seeking urgent humanitarian intervention as concerns intensify over his deteriorating health and his family's inability to contact him for more than a month. Attorney Luciana Minassian confirmed to The Armenian Report that she has formally submitted an appeal to Azerbaijan's Commissioner for Human Rights, Sabina Aliyeva. According to Minassian, the commissioner'
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 28
Family of Armenian POW Loses All Contact for Over a Month After Health Collapse, Lawyer Urges Azerbaijan to Respect Basic Human Rights
The family of an Armenian prisoner held in Azerbaijan says it fears for his life after losing all contact with him for more than a month, following reports that his health has sharply deteriorated. Ludwig Mkrtchyan, 56, has been imprisoned in Baku for nearly six years. His attorney, Lusiana Minasyan, is urging Azerbaijani authorities and President Ilham Aliyev to immediately allow him to speak with his family, saying even a single phone call is a basic humanitarian measure. A
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 27
Armenian POWs Reportedly Suffer Fractures, Abuse and Rapid Health Decline in Azerbaijani Custody
INTERVIEW: Fresh reports from the families of Armenian hostages held in Azerbaijan suggest several detainees may have suffered serious injuries, including fractures, while others are facing a rapid decline in their health, raising new fears over their safety after years in Azerbaijani custody. Siranush Sahakyan, president of the International and Comparative Law Center and legal representative of Armenian prisoners before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), told The Ar
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 25
U.S. House Committee Calls for Immediate Release of Armenian Hostages Held by Azerbaijan
The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Armenian prisoners of war and political prisoners held by Azerbaijan. Lawmakers approved the measure in a 44-7 vote as an amendment to H.R. 9086, the House Foreign Service Act, according to the Armenian National Committee of America. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., a vice chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, introduced the amendment with support fro
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 23
Azerbaijan Jailed Him for Talking to an Armenian Scholar, Now He Says He Was Tortured
Azerbaijan has drawn fresh international scrutiny after the jailed researcher sentenced to 18 years in prison for communicating with an Armenian historian reportedly told a court he was tortured in detention, according to reporting by OC Media and statements from his family. Igbal Abilov, a Talysh researcher convicted on treason charges after Azerbaijani authorities accused him of collaborating with Armenian intelligence, alleges he was beaten while held in solitary confineme
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 22
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
Urgent Warning: Armenian POW’s Life at Risk as Health Rapidly Deteriorates in Azerbaijani Custody
An Armenian prisoner of war held in Azerbaijan is facing a serious medical emergency, with his lawyer warning that his life is at risk as he remains behind bars without access to independent medical care. Attorney Luciana Minassian said newly released medical records show that Lyudvig Mkrtchyan, who was captured during the 2020 war, has developed multiple heart conditions, including left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction and aortic regurgitation. His blood tests
The Armenian Report Team
Jul 14
