Due to the extensive armed aggression launched by Azerbaijan between September 19 and 20 of this year, several monuments in the Republic of Artsakh have found themselves within a danger zone, facing an imminent threat of destruction.

Another incident exemplifying an intolerant approach to cultural heritage occurred on September 27, when Azerbaijani military forces fired shots in the direction of the Charektar Monastery in the village (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbYhLbwgEzE).

Charektar Monastery was one of the prominent spiritual centers of the Upper Tartar valley. Its main structures date back to the 12th-14th centuries, and numerous khachkars and inscriptions have been preserved. A comprehensive description of this monument will be available on our website shortly.

Our response

In occupied territories, it is mandatory to respect cultural values, and acts of reprisal and the confiscation of heritage are prohibited.

Article 9 of the Second Protocol of 1999 to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict prohibits the destruction of cultural property in areas under enemy control (http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=15207&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html).

It is of utmost importance to emphasize that the International Court of Justice has confirmed that the laws in force in the occupied territories, including provisions for the protection of cultural values, have attained the status of international customary law (as per Jurisprudence). This means that these laws serve as universal and binding rules for all states https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icjisrael-separation-wallsecurity-fence-occupied-palestinian-territory.