An examination of Google Earth satellite imagery from June 2023 indicates that the Azerbaijani side has inflicted significant damage on the natural and cultural landscapes of several settlements in Artsakh. One notable example is Taghut village in the Hadrut region, where approximately 25% of the residential structures visible in 2019 satellite images (Fig. 1) have been demolished (Fig. 2). The destruction of Taghut's houses stems from widespread looting in Artsakh's occupied villages by Azerbaijani forces. This looting is primarily carried out by military personnel stationed there, a few new settlers, and various construction crews entering these territories. Hundreds of videos documenting looting, demolition, and deliberate property damage throughout Artsakh corroborate this trend. It can be observed in many of Artsakh's settlements (e.g., Taghut, Togh, Mariamadzor), and the Monument Watch initiative has already addressed similar cases in Tsamdzor, Mariamadzor, Mokhrenes, and other villages, illustrating both the frequency and the large-scale nature of these incidents.

It is also important to note that these instances differ from a series of large-scale demolitions orchestrated by Azerbaijani authorities that specifically target Armenian cultural heritage and employ heavy machinery. These systematic and targeted operations have been observed in entire settlements (e.g., the village of Karin Tak, the historic district of Stepanakert), as well as in churches (e.g., in Shushi, Berdzor, Tandzatap), cemeteries (e.g., the old Ghazanchetsots cemetery in Shushi), and other monuments (e.g., the memorial dedicated to the victims of the Great Patriotic War in Hadrut, the "Great and Small Syunik" memorial complex)-regarding which the Monument Watch initiative has raised the alarm.

Our response

The looting and destruction of civilian settlements, homes, and educational-cultural infrastructure in Taghut village of the Hadrut region by Azerbaijan during the war and throughout the entire occupation constitute a series of interconnected crimes, violating both international norms concerning the protection of heritage during armed conflict and customary rules.

In particular, Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 prohibits looting under all circumstances (https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/gciv-1949/article-33). Likewise, Article 47 of the 1907 Hague Convention (IV) on the Laws and Customs of War on Land and its annex explicitly states that "Pillage is formally forbidden" (https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/hague-conv-iv-1907/regulations-art-47).

Furthermore, Article 4(2) of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict makes it clear that "The High Contracting Parties undertake to prohibit, prevent and, if necessary, put a stop to any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation of, and acts of vandalism directed against cultural property." They also refrain from seizing movable cultural property in the territory of any other High Contracting Party (https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/hague-conv-1954/article-4a).