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 Martakert region.

Avanesov said the findings were based on ongoing monitoring of Azerbaijani social media platforms, where a video allegedly showing the desecration of the cemetery had circulated online. According to the statement, the analysis of the footage revealed “deeply alarming and condemnable manifestations” connected to cultural heritage destruction, ethnic hatred, and violations of international humanitarian law.

The statement said Armenian-language inscriptions on the gravestones and portraits of the fallen fighters showed that the site was specifically targeted because of its Armenian identity and historical significance. Avanesov described the cemetery not only as a burial site, but also as a place connected to Armenian national memory and spiritual heritage.

According to the statement, the video shows an individual walking across gravestones, standing on portraits of the deceased, and damaging the graves. Avanesov argued that such actions go beyond ordinary vandalism and represent a deliberate insult to the memory of the dead and the sanctity of burial sites.

The statement also reported that many gravestones appeared shattered, cut, displaced, or otherwise damaged. Avanesov said the scale of the destruction suggested a systematic attempt to erase Armenian cultural heritage rather than an isolated act.

Particular concern was also raised over what the statement described as the psychological impact of the incident. According to Avanesov, the filming and online dissemination of the footage appeared intended not only to document destruction, but also to place psychological pressure on the families of the fallen, displaced Armenians from Artsakh, and Armenian society more broadly.

Because of the potentially severe emotional impact, the Office of the Ombudsperson for the Cultural Heritage of Artsakh said it would not publicly release the video. However, the footage is reportedly being preserved in its archives as evidence of what the office called another criminal act against Armenian cultural heritage.

The statement stressed that this was not the first reported incident involving the desecration of memorials in Vaghuhas. Avanesov recalled that on January 5, 2024, the State Service for the Protection of the Historical Environment of Artsakh reported the destruction of a khachkar dedicated to Mkhitar Aghabekyan, who was killed during the 2020 war in Artsakh. The khachkar had been erected in 2021 near the village roadside and was created by sculptor Yura Mangasaryan.

Avanesov argued that repeated incidents targeting Armenian cemeteries, monuments, and memorial sites demonstrate what he described as a broader policy aimed at erasing Armenian historical and cultural presence in Artsakh. According to the statement, more than a dozen similar cases have already been documented in different settlements across the region.

The statement further criticized what it described as the insufficient response of the international community. Avanesov said actions targeting cultural heritage sites, cemeteries, and sacred monuments require clear political, legal, and moral condemnation.

“When the graves of the fallen and sites of national memory are targeted, it is not only the rights of one people that are endangered, but also the universal values upon which the existence of the civilized world is founded,” the statement said.

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