Iconic Armenian monument in Karabakh vandalized with hate speech
We Are Our Mountains (Menk Enk Mer Sarere – literally We and Our Mountains), a 1967 sculpture made from volcanic tuff depicting an old man and woman and widely regarded as a symbol of Nagorno-Karabakh by its currently displaced Armenian population, has been vandalized with obscenities under Azerbaijani control.
The Geghard Scientific Analytical Foundation, a Yerevan-based research institution, released photos showing obscene writings in the Azerbaijani language on the monument.
The research center warned that Armenian cultural heritage across Karabakh remains at risk.
One particular instance of hate speech on the monument, written in Azerbaijani — ‘itləri qovluq’ — translates as: ‘We chased away the dogs.’
The photos were first posted online by journalist Rahim Shaliyev.
“The historical monument ‘We Are Our Mountains,’ considered a symbol of Artsakh, was vandalized by Azerbaijanis,” said Shaliyev, an ethnic Talysh Azerbaijani journalist, on X.
In a press release, the Geghard Foundation warned that the monument has been targeted by vandals ever since Azerbaijan took control of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023.
“Since September 19, 2023, after Azerbaijan’s military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, followed by ethnic cleansing and the depopulation of Armenians, the We Are Our Mountains monument has been particularly targeted by Azerbaijanis. During this period, various photos and videos have repeatedly appeared online showing acts of vandalism against the monument, people taking photos next to it with the Azerbaijani flag, making insulting statements about Armenians, and leaving offensive inscriptions. From time to time, statements are even made in Azerbaijan calling for the destruction of this Armenian monument,” the Geghard foundation said, pointing out the infamous statement by Gudrat Hasanguliyev, a member of Azerbaijan’s parliament and chairman of the “Justice, Law, Democracy” party who called for the monument’s destruction.
Another member of the Azeri parliament, Fazail Ibrahimli, has also supported statements about removing Armenian traces in Karabakh.
“It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan is not restrained even by the decision of the International Court of Justice from December 7, 2021, which obliged Azerbaijan to “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage.…” Despite its policy of cultural vandalism in Artsakh yesterday Azerbaijan was once again elected a member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, thereby formally committing itself to preserving cultural monuments. It is evident that Armenian religious, historical, and cultural heritage in Artsakh [NK] remains under threat. Baku has not abandoned, and will not abandon its efforts to erase Armenian traces from the settlements of Artsakh, change their Armenian character, and “Azerbaijanize” them,” the scientific-analytical center said.
