Azerbaijan Destroys Saint Amenaprkich Church in Berdzor

Monument Watch has raised an alarm: "Recently, our partner, the Foundation for the Study of Armenian Architecture (FSAA), reported another incident of cultural vandalism by Azerbaijan, which was also documented through Azerbaijani Telegram channels. This time, Azerbaijan has completely destroyed the Saint Amenaprkich Church in Berdzor, which was completed in 1998, with the cross on the dome consecrated on May 31 of the same year.

The architect of the church was Hrachya Gasparyan, and the construction was managed by Georgi Arakelyan. The artistic decoration of the church was created by renowned sculptor Artashes Hovsepyan, painter Karo Mkrtchyan, master woodworker Vano Dadoyan, and others (for more details about the church, see Berdzor’s Saint Amenaprkich Church - Monument Watch).

It should be noted that as early as 2021, Azerbaijan's "Public Organization for the Protection of Monuments" had proposed a project to convert the church into a mosque. The destruction of the church was a premeditated act, as indicated by materials circulated on Azerbaijani Telegram platforms. In particular, the Azerbaijani side claims that "in 1998, Armenian barbarians built an illegal structure in Lachin under the guise of a 'church.' After the liberation of Lachin from Armenian occupation, Armenians attempted to incite inter-religious animosity by fabricating stories that Azerbaijani authorities intended to convert the 'church' into a mosque. The result is logical: the illegal construction has been dismantled," according to their Telegram channel.

It is important to emphasize that this is not the first instance of Azerbaijan completely destroying churches. Just on March 25, 2021, the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Mekhakavan was destroyed, followed by the Church of Saint Sarkis in Mokhrenes in October, and the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Shushi in April 2024.

Our response: The damage inflicted on the Saint Amenaprkich Church in Berdzor is a serious violation according to Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and further outlined in Article 15(a) of the Second Protocol adopted in 1999, which can be prosecuted as a war crime in international courts.

The deliberate destruction of the church also violates Article 8 of the Rome Statute and is considered a grave crime against humanity. The destruction of the Saint Amenaprkich Church in Berdzor is also an act of genocide (ICC, Policy on Cultural Heritage, para. 88). The examination of the provisions on cultural heritage in the Rome Statute indicates that "crimes against or affecting cultural heritage are often related to genocide or committed as part of it" (ICC, Policy on Cultural Heritage, para. 78).

Apart from physical damage, the destruction of the church leaves profound emotional and cultural consequences, representing a gross violation of the cultural rights of Artsakh Armenians and the entire Armenian nation. The first universal guarantee of cultural rights is defined in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits." Additionally, Article 4 of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity and paragraph 4 of the Human Rights Council Resolution 10/23 state that no one may violate human rights guaranteed by international law or limit the scope of these rights. Similarly, no one should be excluded from cultural practices or access to values (Paragraph 22, https://www.refworld.org/docid/4ed35bae2.html).

The destruction of the church also constitutes a gross violation of the cultural rights of individual creators, including the architect, builder, and sculptor involved in its construction.