Azerbaijan destroys Stepanakert’s Holy Mother of God Church ahead of Armenian Genocide anniversary

The Azerbaijani occupation administration has destroyed the Holy Mother of God St. John’s Church in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) capital Stepanakert ahead of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Artsakh Tourism & Culture Development Agency informs on Facebook.

“This is not just the demolition of a church. This is a continuation of the same policy that led to the Armenian Genocide a century ago. Today it manifests itself in new forms as a cultural genocide and a planned process of erasing the homeland, the goal of which is the final elimination of Armenian historical recollection, culture, and spiritual presence in Artsakh. Not only buildings are being destroyed, but also the identity, the past, and the right to the future of the [Armenian] people.

In these conditions, the almost complete silence of the authorities of the Republic of Armenia is unacceptable. When our holy places are destroyed, silence is no longer neutrality—it becomes an accomplice to the crime being committed.

Equally shameful and dangerous is the silence of the international community, as well as international and specialized structures engaged in the protection of cultural heritage. This silence not only does not stop the criminal, but also encourages new crimes, creating a climate of impunity.

The authorities of the Republic of Armenia are obligated to give an immediate and clear political assessment to this barbarity, publicly condemn the policy of destruction of [Armenian] cultural heritage in Artsakh, and take active diplomatic steps to raise this issue on international platforms.

At the same time, it should be clearly recorded that the right of the Armenian population of Artsakh to return to their homeland is inalienable and cannot be questioned. The destruction of cultural heritage is also aimed at denying this right, disrupting the possibility of the people’s return through the erasure of recollection.

The Holy Mother of God St. John’s Church, built in 2000–2019, was one of the most important spiritual centers of Stepanakert. It restored the centuries-old church presence in the area where the church, which had been operating since the end of the 19th century, had been closed during the Soviet years and transformed into a secular building. The newly built temple became a living symbol of the revival of faith, the preservation of recollection, and the continuity of Armenian identity.

Today, its destruction is another episode in the same tragic chain that began a century ago with the genocide [of the Armenians] and continues today before our eyes, directed not only against the stones, but also against the recollection, dignity, and right of the people to live and return to their homeland,” the statement adds.