Destruction of Armenian Heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh

In early August 2024, Azerbaijani military forces completely destroyed Mokhrenes, a village also known by its Azerbaijani name of Susanlyg.

As of 2021, nearly 80 cases of destruction of Armenian historical, religious, political, and residential sites have been recorded in and around the enclave, as reported by the ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data) document Destruction of Armenian Heritage in Nagorno-Karabach. The pace of destruction accelerated following Azerbaijan’s offensive against Artsakh and the exodus of its population in September 2023. In October 2022, Azerbaijani forces destroyed the St. Sargis Church in the settlement.

Two of the top three cases of destruction of Armenian heritage recorded in 2021 occurred in Shushi/Shusha, a city of great historical and cultural significance to both Azerbaijanis and Armenians. Azerbaijani forces removed the dome of the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral and tampered with its facade, and demolished the Kanach Zham Church. In 2022, in addition to churches, Azerbaijani forces attacked memorials of the first war for Artsakh in the 1990s and Armenian tombstones. They also destroyed a cemetery in the village of Mets Tagher/Boyuk Taghlar, along with the local school and church. In 2023, in addition to the demolition or desecration of Armenian churches and cemeteries, there were several cases of destruction of residential property.
Azerbaijani forces also began to demolish monuments and statues of prominent Armenians, including those erected during Soviet rule, and memorial plaques to those who died during the wars.

In March 2024, Azerbaijani authorities ordered the demolition of the Artsakh parliament and several other buildings in Stepanakert/Khankendi, including the Artsakh Freedom Fighters Union (a military veterans organization), Armenia Hotel, the Palace of Youth (a recreation center), and Ararat Bank. It also began systematically destroying residential buildings in the abandoned city. The policy of destruction is not entirely new. Since 1991, Azerbaijan is believed to have virtually erased traces of Armenian presence in its exclave of Nakhchivan.