Azerbaijanis have desecrated the graves of fallen freedom fighters in the village of Vaghuhas in Artsakh, according to Hovik Avanesov, deputy chairman of the National Historical and Cultural NGO and ombudsman for Artsakh’s cultural heritage.
Avanesov wrote on Facebook that monitoring of social media revealed that the latest target of vandalism by Azerbaijani authorities was the cemetery of fallen fighters in the temporarily occupied village of Vaghuhas in Artsakh’s Martakert region.
According to the statement, an analysis of footage circulated on Azerbaijani social media platforms, viewed in the context of cultural destruction, ethnic hatred, and violations of international humanitarian law, revealed several deeply troubling developments.
“First of all, the ethnic and religious targeting is evident. Armenian-language inscriptions on the gravestones and images of the fallen fighters clearly show that the target was not simply a cemetery, but an important site of Armenian identity, national memory, and spiritual heritage. This is not ordinary vandalism, but a deliberate act driven by ethnic hatred aimed at erasing Armenian traces and historical memory,” the statement said.
It noted that the actions shown in the video were marked by “exceptional cynicism and sacrilege,” with the author of the footage deliberately walking over gravestones, standing on portraits of the deceased, and striking and desecrating them.
“This behavior is not only damage to graves, but also a deliberate insult to the memory of the dead, the sanctity of burial, and human dignity. Such acts contradict not only international legal norms, but also the most basic principles of universal morality.
The footage also clearly shows numerous broken, cut, displaced, and damaged gravestones, indicating that the cemetery was subjected to systematic and targeted destruction. The scale and nature of the damage point not to an isolated incident, but to a deliberate policy of destroying cultural values. Such actions against Armenian cultural and memorial sites in territories temporarily occupied by Baku’s authoritarian regime have long taken on a continuous and systematic character,” the statement said.
The post also described the psychological intimidation aspect as especially dangerous and condemnable. It said the recording and dissemination of the acts on social media, along with Azerbaijani-language remarks heard in the video, demonstrate an intention not only to erase traces of Armenian cultural presence, but also to exert psychological pressure on relatives of the fallen, forcibly displaced Artsakh Armenians, and Armenian society as a whole.
“This is an open attempt to create an atmosphere of humiliation, fear, and helplessness, and it also carries a propaganda element.
Considering that the video may have a severe psychological impact on relatives of the fallen fighters and the public, we are not publishing it. The footage is preserved in the archive of the Artsakh Cultural Heritage Ombudsman’s Office as factual evidence of another criminal act against Armenian cultural heritage,” the statement said.
It also noted that the silence and inadequate response of the international community continue to contribute to a climate of impunity, while such actions against cultural heritage, sacred sites, and cemeteries should receive clear political, legal, and moral condemnation.
“When the graves of the fallen and sites of national memory are targeted, not only the rights of one people are endangered, but also the universal values on which the civilized world is built,” Avanesov wrote.
This is not the first recorded case of desecration of memorials dedicated to those killed defending the homeland in Vaghuhas. On January 5, 2024, the State Service for the Protection of the Historical Environment of Artsakh reported that Azerbaijani soldiers had destroyed a khachkar erected in 2021 in memory of Mkhitar Aghabekyan, who was killed during the large-scale war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in 2020.
