On February 23, a parliamentary inquiry titled “Erasing the Past: Destruction of Cultural Heritage” was launched in the UK Parliament, the Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom reported.
The initiative aims to examine cases of destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) since 2023, the legal steps taken to date, and potential mechanisms to ensure justice and accountability. During the first session, Artak Beglaryan, President of the Artsakh Union and former Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh, delivered remarks.
The inquiry is being conducted by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), in cooperation with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Law, Justice and Accountability and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Armenia.
The cross-party group is chaired by MP Brendan O’Hara and includes Baroness Helena Kennedy, MPs John Whittingdale and Jessica Morden, Lord McInnes, Lord Alton and Baroness Hooper. The work is supported by IBAHRI Programmes Coordinator Eimear McDonald.
The inquiry will proceed in five stages:
Mapping documented cases of cultural destruction and existing legal responses.
Opening a submissions phase.
Holding public hearings with experts and witnesses.
Publishing a final report.
Follow-up discussions with the UK government and international institutions.
Earlier, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) drew attention in its report to the systematic destruction of Armenian religious and cultural heritage in Artsakh. USCIRF recommended that the U.S. government and Congress take several measures, including imposing targeted sanctions on Azerbaijan and allowing independent international observers, such as UN representatives, to visit Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas to assess and document cultural and religious heritage. The body also proposed holding hearings at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
