PHOTOS: In Artsakh, not only cemeteries are being destroyed, but also any evidence of these cemeteries

The State Service for the Protection of Historical Environment of the Republic of Artsakh warns that the adversary, Azerbaijan, is destroying not only cemeteries but also any evidence of these cemeteries.

"Aliyev's war against cross stones
History repeats itself; vandals are destroying not only cemeteries, but also any evidence of these cemeteries. The Turk remains a Turk and continues to act in his Turkish manner; vandalism has been directed against the cross stone in Ivanyan. In 1920, during the Armenian-Azerbaijani (Tatar) clashes, when Khojalu was resettled, Armenians saved from the great massacre in Shushi settled in the western part of the village, while Azerbaijanis fleeing from Yeghegnadzor (Darlagyaz) and Sisian settled in the eastern part. These two segments lived separately but carried the same Khojalu name and were governed by the same village council, whose presidents were Hovsep Avagyan and Bakhshi Sargsyan ("Soviet Karabakh", 24.10.1990).

In the southwestern part of Khojalu, there existed a small Armenian cemetery (25-30 gravestones) where the remains of Armenians who had settled here from Berdazor were interred. Eyewitnesses testify that during the Artsakh Movement, when Armenians were again forced to leave their native settlement, Azerbaijanis destroyed the Armenian cemetery and filled the gravestones into the opposite gorge. The aforementioned Bakhshi Sargsyan's grandson, Ishkhan Sargsyan, erected a memorial cross stone in the cemetery area where his relatives are also buried," reads the state agency's website.