In 2025, user Ararat Poghosyan published a video featuring satellite images on the Internet (https://x.com/araratpetrosian/status/1886858008157937998) that confirmed Azerbaijani forces had completely destroyed the village of Mariamadzor in the Hadrut region of Artsakh. Satellite imagery from 2019 and 2024 further documents the settlement's total devastation.

It is important to note that Mariamadzor had fallen under Azerbaijani control following the signing of the trilateral statement on November 9, 2020 (https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30993297.html).

Once celebrated as one of the picturesque villages of Hadrut (see Fig. 1), Mariamadzor was home to several significant historical and cultural monuments, including the 16th–17th century Surb Minas Church (established in 1601), the Shenin Bridge, and the Vnesaberd Fortress.

The Artsakh’s Cultural Heritage Monitoring Program has provided a detailed account of the village's Surb Minas Church, located in its southwestern section (Fig. 2). According to M. Barkhudarants, the builder's memorial inscription of the church was inscribed on the northern arch: "I, hieromonk Azaria David Yerets, master of the constructed church"—the church stands as a testament to the village's rich cultural heritage. An inscription on the opposite side of the same arch further reads, "Cross of Baghdasar, raised for his wife..." (Barkhutareants 1895, 73), underscoring its historical significance (for details, see: https://monumentwatch.org/en/monument/surb-minas-church-of-mariamadzor/).

Meanwhile, the Shenin Bridge was located on the stream flowing through the village (see Fig. 3), connecting the two main quarters of the village. Immediately adjacent to the bridge is the Shenin Spring (see: https://monumentwatch.org/en/monument/shenin-bridge-of-mariamadzor/).

The village was also home to the Vnesaberd Fortress, established between the 12th and 14th centuries and remaining in use until the 18th century.

Our response

The systematic destruction of the village of Mariamadzor by Azerbaijan, both during the conflict and throughout the subsequent occupation, constitutes a series of crimes. These acts flagrantly violate international norms for the protection of cultural heritage in times of war, undermine the principles of authenticity and integrity as established by UNESCO, and contravene the rulings of the International Court of Justice (https://monumentwatch.org/en/2021/12/23/decision-of-the-international-court-of-justice-in-the-hague-on-azerbaijans-violation-of-the-convention-of-1965-on-the-elimination-of-all-forms-of-racial-discrimination/). The damage inflicted upon the village constitutes a "grave breach" under Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, as well as a violation of Article 15(a) of the Second Protocol adopted in 1999. As such, this deliberate act qualifies as a war crime and is prosecutable in international courts (https://www.arlis.am/DocumentView.aspx?DocID=31415).

The destruction of the village of Mariamadzor constitutes a war crime under Article 8, paragraph 2, of the Rome Statute. This provision explicitly defines war crimes to include intentional attacks on buildings dedicated to religious, educational, cultural, scientific, or charitable purposes, as well as historical monuments, hospitals, and locations where the sick and wounded are concentrated—provided that these targets are not military objectives (Article 8, paragraph 2, subparagraph (b), clause (ix)).