Video: Azerbaijanis Destroy Cemetery in Hin Shen, Artsakh

Azerbaijan is systematically destroying the cultural heritage of occupied Artsakh at a state level. Daily evidence of Azerbaijani vandalism is being recorded, as reported by the "Ombudsman of Armenian Culture" on their Facebook page.

“The latest video published online clearly shows how Azerbaijani vandals are destroying the cemetery in the Hin Shen community of Shushi region using construction machinery. Following the large-scale war unleashed by the Turkish-Azerbaijani terrorist tandem on September 27, 2020, and the complete expulsion of Armenians from Artsakh in 2023, the historical cemeteries of Shushi, as well as many cemeteries in the regions of Hadrut and Martuni, the cemetery in the village of Sghnakh in the Askeran region, and the fraternal cemetery in the village of Haterk in the Martakert region have become targets of a state-sponsored cultural genocide policy by Azerbaijan.

This once again demonstrates that the cultural heritage of Artsakh is at risk of destruction and appropriation. According to Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, any acts of vandalism, theft, looting, appropriation, hostility, and retribution against cultural heritage are prohibited. The First Protocol of The Hague Convention of 1954 prohibits the destruction of cultural or spiritual values in occupied territories,” the statement reads.