Zorakach Church in Artsakh Becomes Target of Azerbaijani Aggression

The Ombudsman for Armenian Cultural Heritage writes: The Azerbaijani state regime continues to appropriate and destroy the cultural heritage of Artsakh. On April 4, a video was circulated on Azerbaijani social media platforms, filmed in the occupied Kashatagh region of the Republic of Artsakh. In the video, the Zorakach Church, located in Kashatagh, is presented as a monument of Agvanian origin. This political maneuver distorts history.

The Zorakach Church is situated in the Kashatagh region of the Republic of Artsakh (currently under Azerbaijani control), 52 kilometers north of Berdzor, along the left bank of the Shalva tributary of the Hakari River, in the territory of the village of Arakhish. More details about the church can be found at this link.

Azerbaijan is not only misrepresenting significant parts of the Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh and Nakhchivan but is also targeting locations such as the Tatev Monastery, Harichavank, the Mother Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, Haghartsin Monastery, Goshavank, the Haghpat Monastic Complex, Sevanavank, Geghard Monastery, and the Holy Cross Church of Akhtamar, among other spiritual and cultural values.

According to Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, any acts of vandalism, theft, looting, appropriation, enmity, and retaliation 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.