Regardless of how Azerbaijan feels about Armenian culture, it must be preserved: Monument Watch

On February 27, 2024, a statement was released by the State Council for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Artsakh, revealing that Azerbaijan has destroyed the bust of Charles Aznavour in the Park of Armenian-French Friendship, located next to the Paul Éluard Francophonie Center in Stepanakert. The bust was unveiled on May 22, 2022, in honor of the world-renowned singer’s 100th birthday. The author of the bust is architect Mamikon Farsi, while the sculptor is Yuri Hovhannisyan, who aimed to inspire hope for the future in the people of Artsakh through the smiling sculpture of Aznavour. A panel titled "Melody" by Artsakh sculptor Hrant Mnatsakanyan was also affixed to the building's facade, but there are no updates regarding its current state.

Photographs taken before the Azerbaijani vandalism indicate that the monument was intact, whereas the same site today is without Charles Aznavour's statue.

Monument Watch has issued a statement: "Cultural heritage is considered a unique expression of human creative thought within the framework of international humanitarian law. Its destruction or damage directly violates the cultural rights of individuals and communities during and after a war. Article 8 of the International Criminal Court regards the destruction of cultural heritage in occupied territories as an international war crime: 'It is prohibited to direct attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science, or charitable purposes, historical monuments, hospitals, and any other civilian objects, unless they are military targets.'

It should also be noted that the Hague Convention of 1954, which prohibits the destruction of cultural property in armed conflict, states that neither the antiquity (whether old or new) nor the nature of a monument can justify its destruction. According to the first article of the Convention, the value of cultural heritage is transnational and universal: 'Cultural property, irrespective of origin, is part of the heritage of all nations, regardless of its religious or secular nature...'. Therefore, heritage must be preserved wherever it is found, whenever it was created. Based on the logic of the Convention, nations will determine what constitutes their 'heritage of great importance,' in this case, the Armenians of Artsakh. And regardless of how it appears or the feelings it evokes in Azerbaijan, it must be preserved. If in the 20th century cultural heritage necessarily bore historical significance, then in the legal framework of 21st-century heritage, values from both the past and the present are considered heritage," the statement reads.