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Human Rights Organization Labels Artsakh Conflict Genocide Against Arm

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#41 Yervant1

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Posted 30 September 2021 - 06:54 AM

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Sept 29 2021
 
 
Another Armenian Church Vandalized in California
 

09/29/2021 United States (International Christian Concern) – In the early morning hours of September 23, a masked assailant armed with a bat destroyed the stained-glass windows at St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church in the greater Los Angeles area, according to a report from CBS Los Angeles. The attack came just days before the anniversary of Azerbaijan’s invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh) last year, which was supported by Turkey. Many fear that the ensuing war from last year and the taking of territory by Azerbaijan from Armenia has emboldened anti-Armenian hate crimes around the world.

This attack also falls into a pattern of increased attacks against the Armenian community in the United States. Last year, St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco was set ablaze when an unknown assailant lit two Molotov cocktails in the office of the church’s priest. Additionally, the nearby KZV Armenian School was defaced with anti-Armenian graffiti and shot at in a drive-by shooting in two separate occasions, also occurring in the second half of 2020 around the time of the invasion.

International Christian Concern (ICC) released a report shortly after the war depicting the religious freedom violations committed by Azerbaijan and Turkish-paid Syrian mercenaries entitled, Anatomy of Genocide: Karabakh’s Forty-Four Day War. During the war, not only did these militants commit war crimes against ethnic Armenian Christians, but they also underwent a campaign to erase the history of Christianity from the land through the destruction of churches and Christian symbols, a campaign that continues to this day.

ICC also sent two staff members to Artsakh earlier this year to meet with survivors of the war and investigate the reality on the ground in order to deliver humanitarian aid to families in need. Their findings, compiled into a report entitled, Nagorno-Karabakh, A Humanitarian Perspective, showed the devastation that Turkey and Azerbaijan undertook during the war to truly strike at the heart of Armenian culture and Christianity.

As long as Turkey and Azerbaijan continue to commit atrocities against Armenian Christians in Artsakh, it is reasonable to expect that radicals around the world will feel empowered to commit crimes against Armenians, such as the ones seen in California.

 

https://www.persecut...zed-california/



#42 Yervant1

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Posted 12 October 2021 - 06:55 AM

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Oct 11 2021
 
Nagorno-Karabakh “War Crime” Video Pains Armenians
 

10/11/2021 Nagorno-Karabakh (International Christian Concern) –  A video depicting the killing of two civilian Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh) that surfaced nearly one year ago still brings heartache and pain to Armenians, particularly those who knew them in Hadrut. The video was posted to an anonymous Telegram channel on October 15 and removed not long after once the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed it was fake and a “provocation”.

However, the videos had already been archived and have been authenticated by BBC and independent investigators. British analysts and Armenian human rights advocates dubbed the video “undeniable war crime evidence.” The helmet worn by one of the Azerbaijani troops suggests that at least one person involved was part of Azerbaijan’s special forces, not just normal armed forces. Independent investigators have not yet been allowed to enter Hadrut since the town has remained under Azerbaijani control.

One former Hadrut resident, now living in Yerevan, recounted her experience to RFE/RL of the first time she came across the videos. Margarita Karamian said she knew both men in the videos, 73-year-old Benik Hakobian, and 25-year-old Yuri Adamian. “Terrible. It was terrible,” she said. “But it was not unexpected. We have already seen so many terrible things that we seem to have become a type of zombie.”

Karamian had lived in Hadrut her whole life, even during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war of the 1990s. Yet, as her husband and son said, “this is a different war.” She sent her children off and she remained for some time until her husband and son forced her to flee just before midnight on October 9. It is suspected that the two men in the videos were killed just the next day when Azerbaijani forces took the city. The bodies of some Hadrut residents have been recovered, but Hakobian and Adamian’s have not. Many more Hadrut residents are still missing one year later.

 

https://www.persecut...aunt-armenians/



#43 Yervant1

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Posted 13 October 2021 - 12:33 PM

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Oct 12 2021
 
 
Armenian Civilian Murdered in Front of Peacekeepers
 
Sniper-Scale-002.jpg

Artsakh Citizen Killed by Azeri Sniper Fire While Gardening   

10/12/2021 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on October 9, Azeri snipers killed a 55-year-old Artsakh civilian while he was accompanied by Russian peacekeepers in the city of Martakert. According to reports, the civilian was reluctantly working in a pomegranate garden, but was afraid because of previous Azeri sniper fire which targeted him. His return to work was encouraged and he was accompanied by Russian peacekeepers. However, the sniper resumed his activities, fatally striking the civilian in the chest.

The Republic of Armenia’s Prosecutor’s Office said“According to preliminary information, the driver initially avoided driving agricultural machinery, but one of the peacekeepers offered to sit with him in person in the cabin as an additional guarantee of safety. According to eyewitnesses, they made several turns in that way.”

They continued, “On the same day, a criminal case was initiated on the fact, according to Article 103, Part 2, Clause 14 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan (murder committed on the grounds of national, racial or religious hatred or religious fanaticism). An investigation is underway.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh said in a statement that they “strongly condemn(s) such aggressive behavior and provocative actions of Azerbaijan aimed at creating an atmosphere of fear among the peaceful population of the Republic of Artsakh and emigration of Armenians from the country.”

“This and all the previous incidents, which resulted in casualties among civilians or damage to their property, are manifestations of Azerbaijan’s coordinated anti-Armenian policy and another proof that the Azerbaijani authorities’ peaceful calls on the people of Artsakh and claims for peaceful coexistence are nothing but an attempt to mislead the civilized world and weaken the vigilance of the Armenian parties,” continued the statement.

humanitarian report released by ICC in June 2021 warned, “International, third-party access is a crucial ongoing need, in large part because the conflict continues despite the November 9th ceasefire statement. International recognition of the religious freedom components of this war is an immediate necessity. Peacekeepers are not police. They inherently cannot and are not those responsible for responding to kidnappings, shootings into Artsakh from conquered territories, and other types of criminal activity. These activities remain ongoing. Artsakh’s residents remain under threat to their physical integrity, which has created an absence of safety and stabilization that ensures that the consequences of the war are ongoing.”

The sniper who murdered the civilian in the Martakert incident has been transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office of Russia. Reports of targeted and indiscriminate shootings by Azerbaijan from the conquered territories into Artsakh are a frequent occurrence.

Late September through early December marks the one-year anniversary period of the 2020 invasion of Azerbaijan into Artsakh, a majority Armenian Christian area. The invasion occurred with the support of Turkey and was conducted in a manner which mirrored the 1915 Turkish genocide against Armenian Christians (see ICC’s report: The Anatomy of Genocide: Karabakh’s Forty-Four Day War).

The ongoing threats, intimidation, and harassment of Artsakh’s citizens by Azerbaijan constitute serious religious freedom violations, as well as multiple human rights abuses.

Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager for the Middle East, said “Azerbaijan’s provocations against Artsakh’s Armenian Christian residents continue despite the ceasefire statement. The targeted murder of a citizen, who was in the presence of peacekeepers, shows just how emboldened Azerbaijan is that they can commit serious atrocities without any consequence. Azerbaijan has come to this position with Turkey’s support and encouragement. The combined pan-Turkic, Grey Wolf ideology driving Turkey and Azerbaijan’s activities towards Artsakh constitute serious religious violations and show a genocidal intent to eliminate its Armenian Christian presence.”

 

https://www.persecut...t-peacekeepers/



#44 Yervant1

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Posted 13 October 2021 - 12:37 PM

Armenpress.com
 

Occupied Hadrut is undeniable proof of Azerbaijan's policy of ethnic cleansing of the Armenian people

 
 
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1065296.jpg 17:52, 11 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 11, ARMENPRESS. It’s already a year Azerbaijan has been occupying the entire Hadrut region of the Republic of Artsakh, one of the most important settlements with a permanent Armenian population, which has been inhabited by Armenians for centuries, as documented in many historical sources and materials. The settlements of the Hadrut region of the Republic of Artsakh during the Soviet years constituted the Hadrut Region of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, where more than 90% of the 15.000 population, according to the 1979 census, were Armenians, ARMENPRESS reports reads the statement issued by the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh.

“As a result of the Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression against the population of Artsakh on September 27, 2020, the Armenian population of the town of Hadrut and the homonymous region was completely subjected to ethnic cleansing.

 
 

From the very first day of the aggression, the civilian population, civilian infrastructures, and structures of the humanitarian significance of Hadrut were deliberately and indiscriminately targeted by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. 32 civilians from the Hadrut Region were killed as a result of the missile attacks, torture, and torment by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, including 73-year-old Benik Hakobyan and 25-year-old Yuri Adamyan, who were demonstratively killed in Hadrut Square after being captured by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Due to the ongoing occupation, 14000 residents of the region are displaced from their homes, they lost their movable and immovable property, work, and the whole stuff.

48 Armenian settlements have been ethnically “cleansed” of the Armenian presence and the houses and property belonging to the Armenians have been vandalized and looted.

Before the Azerbaijani occupation, there were 6 kindergartens and 26 schools in the region with 2030 students now deprived of their right to education as a result of displacement.

Due to the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Hadrut, tangible and intangible cultural values created by the Armenians are endangered. More than 500 significant historical and cultural monuments – churches, monasteries, khachkars, sanctuaries, are under immediate threat of extinction. Azerbaijani authorities are desecrating the spiritual and cultural values created by the indigenous Armenian population of the region at the highest level, as evidenced by the video widely spread on social networks in which the president of Azerbaijan demonstratively commands to remove the Armenian inscriptions from the church in Tsakuri village.

Research by Armenian and international organizations for the protection of cultural values prove that all the Armenian cemeteries in all settlements of Hadrut are being demolished and destroyed and the gravestones are used as a building material for roads.

Due to the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population, community life and traditions have been disrupted in all settlements of the region, and as a result of the dispersal of the displaced population, the Hadrut dialect, which is unique among the Armenian dialects is endangered.

Unfortunately, even a year after the occupation, the reports and numerous calls on large-scale violations of the rights of the Armenian population of Hadrut and other occupied communities of Artsakh, have not yet received proper attention and assessment by the international structures, individual states, and human rights organizations.

The international community has a direct obligation and responsibility to ensure the protection of the rights of the Armenian population and guarantee their return to their native lands”, reads the statement.

 

 

https://armenpress.a...2ebOIraQ2hmFLmE



#45 Yervant1

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Posted 15 October 2021 - 08:57 AM

Armenpress.com
 

ICJ holds hearings over Armenia’s request to indicate provisional measures against Azerbaijan

 
 
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1065571.jpg 13:30, 14 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, is holding public hearings over Armenia’s request to indicate provisional measures against Azerbaijan.

On September 16, 2021, Armenia instituted proceedings against the Republic of Azerbaijan before the International Court of Justice with regard to alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

 
 

Armenia also requested the Court to indicate certain provisional measures “as a matter of extreme urgency”, including the return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives from Azerbaijan, as well as the closure of the so-called “Military Trophies Park” in Baku.

The hearings will last until October 15.

Armenia is represented by a group at the hearings, which involves famous international experts who will help to present the country’s interests.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 

 

https://armenpress.a...55HrdUNR9f8lCAw



#46 Yervant1

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Posted 15 October 2021 - 08:58 AM

Armenpress.com
 

Evidence proves Azerbaijan’s intention to ethnic cleansing: Armenia presents proofs to ICJ

 
 
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1065583.jpg 14:52, 14 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14, ARMENPRESS. During today’s hearings at the International Court of Justice, convened over Armenia’s request to indicate provisional measures against Azerbaijan, Armenia presented numerous evidence proving Azerbaijan’s intention to ethnic cleansing, torture of Armenian captives.

It was presented to the Court that Azerbaijan, according to the international humanitarian law and the 2020 November 9 trilateral statement, has been obliged to return all Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held, however, it still keeps holding the POWs and civilian captives. The rapporteurs mentioned both the unconfirmed captives and the 45 confirmed captives.

 
 

“The fact that Azerbaijan has detained these 45 persons is indisputable”, the rapporteur representing Armenia’s interests said, adding that their names and other information are presented in the documents, they are persons with clear names, faces and have families.

The rapporteur reminded that the special forces of Azerbaijan captured Armenian servicemen near Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages even in December 2020. It was emphasized that these two villages were not included in the areas which the Armenian troops needed to leave in accordance with the trilateral statement.

Numerous videos proving the killings and ill treatment of Armenian servicemen by the Azerbaijani servicemen have been presented to the Court.

“Today you can hear that all these POWs are criminals and holding them in detention has no link with ethnic cleansing, meanwhile all evidence prove the ethnic cleansing”, the rapporteur said.

The International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, is holding public hearings over Armenia’s request to indicate provisional measures against Azerbaijan.

On September 16, 2021, Armenia instituted proceedings against the Republic of Azerbaijan before the International Court of Justice with regard to alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

Armenia also requested the Court to indicate certain provisional measures “as a matter of extreme urgency”, including the return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives from Azerbaijan, as well as the closure of the so-called “Military Trophies Park” in Baku.

The hearings will last until October 15.

Armenia is represented by a group at the hearings, which involves famous international experts who will help to present the country’s interests.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 

 

https://armenpress.a...YBiHlr61wtTdWgU



#47 Yervant1

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Posted 17 October 2021 - 07:31 AM

PanArmenian, Armenia
Oct 16 2021
 
 
 
World Court vows to rule on Armenia vs. Azerbaijan "as soon as possible"
296153.jpg
October 16, 2021 - 11:32 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The World Court in The Hague has promised to make a decision as soon as possible on a case case Armenia filed that said Azerbaijan promotes ethnic hatred against Armenians and asked the court to stop the cycle of violence and hatred.

The judge said the decision will be adopted as soon as possible, adding that the sides will be provided information about the date a little later, Sputnik Armenia reports.

The hearing dealt with Armenia’s request for emergency measures to stop the violations, while the court considers the claim. The Armenian lawyers said Azerbaijan’s authorities are fostering ethic hatred and a culture where murder and torture of ethnic Armenians were “systematic”.

“Generations upon generations are indoctrinated into this culture of fear and hate of anything and everything Armenian,” Yeghishe Kirakosyan said.

Dozens of videos of Azeri troops cutting the throats and ears of Armenians have been spreading online since the final days of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Azerbaijanis subject the Armenian POWs and captives to physical abuse and humiliation. The videos depict Azerbaijani captors variously slapping, kicking, and prodding Armenian POWs, and compelling them, under obvious duress and with the apparent intent to humiliate, to kiss the Azerbaijani flag. In most of the videos, the captors’ faces are visible, suggesting that they did not fear being held accountable.
https://www.panarmen...oon_as_possible


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#48 MosJan

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Posted 18 October 2021 - 11:26 AM

no-one will do nothing to them.. it would be all symbolic / flowers to fallen 



#49 Yervant1

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Posted 01 December 2021 - 10:17 AM

Public Radio of Armenia
Nov 30 2021
 
 
UN Court to deliver order in two cases involving Armenia and Azerbaijan on December 7
November 30, 2021, 13:18
 1 minute read
 

On 7 December 2021, the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its Order on the request for the indication of provisional measures made by the Republic of Armenia in the case concerning
Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan).

The Court will also deliver its Order on the request for the indication of provisional measures made by the Republic of Azerbaijan in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Azerbaijan v. Armenia).

The President of the Court, Judge Joan E. Donoghue, will read out the Court’s Order at a public sitting at the Peace Palace in The Hague to be held following the delivery of its Order in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan), which will begin at 3 p.m.

In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, only Members of the Court and representatives of the States Parties to the case will be present in the Great Hall of Justice. Members of the diplomatic corps, the media and the public will be able to follow the reading through a live webcast on the Court’s website, as well as on UN Web TV, the United Nations online television channel.

On September 16, the Republic of Armenia instituted proceedings against the Republic of Azerbaijan before the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, with regard to alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

Azerbaijan lodged a similar complaint on September 30.

 

https://en.armradio....-on-december-7/



#50 Yervant1

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Posted 04 December 2021 - 11:19 AM

Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 3 2021
 
 
Cyprus Parliament adopts resolution condemning Azerbaijani aggression against Armenians
December 3, 2021, 17:07
 Less than a minute
 

The House of Representatives of Cyprus has unanimously adopted a resolution on Azerbaijan’s ongoing aggression against Armenians and the current situation in Nagorno Karabakh, the Armenian Embassy in Greece and Cyprus informs.

The resolution condemns Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia and Artsakh and demands that the provisions of the November 9, 2020 ceasefire statement, including the immediate release of the captives, be implemented.

At the same time, it calls on the international community to act to end Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia, as well as to urge international organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Artsakh.

The resolution also condemns Turkish involvement in the war against Artsakh.



#51 Yervant1

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Posted 08 December 2021 - 09:04 AM

What a useless piece of garbage declaration! Is it the oil?

Press TV, Iran

Dec 7 2021
 
 
UN's top court rules Armenia, Azerbaijan must avoid escalating long-time feud
Tuesday, 07 December 2021 5:26 PM  [ Last Update: Tuesday, 07 December 2021 5:47 PM ]
 
40c6f173-66e5-4695-a5e8-433f9214826b.jpg
An Armenian soldier (file photo)

Judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have issued an order for Armenia and Azerbaijan to prevent racial hatred and avoid aggravating their dispute, more than one year after they fought a war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The  ICJ, which has its seat in The Hague, made the ruling on Tuesday upon a request by Armenia for emergency measures against Azerbaijan.

"Both parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the court or make it more difficult to resolve," said the ICJ's chief judge, Joan Donoghue.

The court also said that Azerbaijan must "protect from violence and bodily harm" all prisoners from last year's conflict.

The two countries fought a six-week war in November 2020, which claimed more than 6,500 lives on both sides.

The ICJ also ordered Azerbaijan to "prevent the incitement of racial hatred and discrimination including by its officials and institutions" against Armenians.

Baku was also ordered to prevent the "vandalism and desecration" of Armenian cultural heritage, including churches.

Last year's war, which ended with a Russian-brokered deal, left Azerbaijan largely in control of Nagorno-Karabakh. The ceasefire ended the war but tensions remain high between the two sides, and the accord left many questions unsettled, including the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenians who still live there.

Even before the conflict, Nagorno-Karabakh was internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but was populated by ethnic Armenians.

 

 



#52 Yervant1

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Posted 09 December 2021 - 08:42 AM

pngArD2nptcrQ.png
Dec 8 2021
 
 
In first ICJ rulings, Armenia largely comes out on top of Azerbaijan
 
By Neil Hauer in Yerevan December 8, 2021

The first rulings in a pair of landmark cases at the International Court of Justice – with Armenia suing Azerbaijan for inciting racial hatred and abusing prisoners of war and Azerbaijan’s countersuit on anti-Azeri racism in Armenia – have largely gone in favour of Yerevan.

On December 7, in the first case (Armenia vs Azerbaijan), judges at the ICJ examining Armenian allegations that Azerbaijan breached a convention against racial discrimination ordered Azerbaijan to prevent incitement of racial hatred against Armenians and protect Armenian prisoners of war.

The statement included a demand that Azerbaijan must "take all necessary measures to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred and discrimination including by its officials in public institutions targeted at persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin".

Presiding judge Joan Donoghue said Azerbaijan must protect from violence and harm "all persons captured in relation to the 2020 conflict who remain in detention" and must "prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage".

The same day, in the second case (Azerbaijan vs Armenia), the first rulings were also issued. In the court statement, the ICJ ordered Armenia to “take all necessary measures to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred, including by organizations and private persons in its territory, targeted at persons of Azerbaijani national or ethnic origin”. As for another Azerbaijani request, regarding a call to prevent Armenia destroying evidence of ethnically motivated crimes against Azerbaijanis, the court found these measures “are not warranted”.

Analyzing the outcomes of the two initial rulings, human rights lawyer Gabriel Armas-Cardona that regarding the protection of Armenian cultural sites, the ICJ “gave Armenia everything it asked for”. For the second suit, meanwhile, Armas-Cardona noted with surprise that Azerbaijan had received “only 1 of its 6 requests” in its ICJ suit, fewer than expected.

Armenia filed its ICJ suit on September 16. Azerbaijan filed its countersuit on September 23.

https://www.bne.eu/i...?source=armenia

 

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#53 Yervant1

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Posted 30 December 2021 - 10:47 AM

pngvo2FrjjC1P.png
Dec 29 2021
 
 
Armenia’s Cross-Stones: A Symbol of Heroism
 
  By ICC’s Field Correspondent
one-of-the-oldest-Armenian-Khachqar-in-A

12/29/2021 Nagorno-Karabakh (International Christian Concern) – On November 14, 2021 three cross-stones (Armenian: Khachqar) found their new place in Yerablur Military Memorial Cemetery. Since 1988 the cemetery has become the burial place for thousands of Armenian soldiers who lost their lives during the Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh) wars.

Khachqar is an Armenian unique cross-stone monument and well-known characteristic of medieval Christian Armenian art. The cross-stone is a carved, memorial slab bearing a cross, often with additional motifs such as rosettes, interlaces, and botanical motifs. The first true khachqars appeared in the 9th century and were erected for the salvation of the soul of either a living or a deceased person. They also were used to commemorate a military victory, the construction of a church, or as a form of protection from natural disasters. The most common location for early khachqars was in a graveyard.

Currently there are hundreds of khachqars worldwide, many of which are memorials to commemorate the victims of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire by Turks. They have been placed in various locations, including at the Vatican Museum, Canterbery Cathedral’s memorial garden, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney and many other places. Museums all around the world have acquired or received donations of Armenian khachqars or temporarily represented them at significant exhibitions, including the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Special Exhibition of the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan.

Khachqar-in-Yerablur-300x197.jpg

The cultural genocide against Christians, including Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks, by Turkey during the Ottoman genocide and by Azerbaijan during the all three Artsakh wars is a component of the physical genocide of the Armenian people. The persecution of the Christian Armenian community intends to obliterate any vestiges of their existence on their ancestral lands, which they have inhabited for centuries. These two aggressor countries – Turkey and Azerbaijan – lead not only the two worst crimes of the recent centuries against the Armenians but also are responsible for the cultural genocide of these people.

Armenians faced deportation during both, walking the roads carrying heavy, sacred khachqars to their new places to avoid leaving them to a Muslim enemy to be destroyed. The ceasefire agreement that ended the 2020 Artsakh War handed jurisdiction over 75 percent of the Armenian land to Azerbaijan. This territory contains at least 1,456 Armenian historical and cultural sites, including 161 churches and thousands of khachqars.

The village of Chaylu in the Martakert region of Nagorno-Karabakh was quite a large village of almost 3,000 people until the first Artsakh war of the 1990s. After the heavy fight with Azerbaijan, the village, unfortunately, was completely left to the enemy. In the mid-1990s, survivors of the village moved to another location in Artsakh and founded a new village by renaming it Nor Aygestan. Not long after the move, the khachqars with the names of the fallen soldiers were placed in the village in memory of the martyrs.

During the 44-day Artsakh War of 2020 the male population of the village was primarily the children of the generation killed in the war prior. The generation of the first war took up arms for their land and sacrificed their lives in the fight for the homeland against Turkish-Azerbaijani aggressors. Again, the Armenian people fought for their land. Though the military actions did not reach the border of the village of Nor Aygestan, the village was emptied of Armenians and handed to Azerbaijanis by the November 9th agreement. The villagers had only 24 hours to leave their homes and move to the territory of the Republic of Armenia. The village decided to take with them not their personal belongings but instead the most precious artifact – the khachqars which were consecrated in the name and blood of heroic sons of the first Artsakh war. Today those three khachqars are placed in Yerablur military pantheon as the memorial of the history of sacrifice of one Armenian village in Artsakh and its’ heroic inhabitants.

https://www.persecut...symbol-heroism/

 
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#54 Yervant1

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Posted 20 January 2022 - 10:02 AM

pngCPNUlvIOXY.png
Jan 19 2022
 
 
Azerbaijan Continues Intimidation of Armenians in Artsakh
 

01/19/2022 Nagorno-Karabakh (International Christian Concern) – Since the beginning of the new year, Azerbaijan has exchanged fire with Armenia, killing three Armenian troops, while also intimidating the region’s historically Christian civilians. Azeri troops kidnapped a 53-year-old Armenian shepherd on January 13. The man soon after returned, but his livelihood was stripped from him when Azerbaijan refused to return the 500 sheep taken at the time of the kidnapping.

On January 12, Azerbaijan and Armenia exchanged fire, both claiming the other side initiated the fighting, which resulted in four total dead. According to Arman Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, several intimidation instances have also occurred this month. In one instance, Azerbaijani servicemen pointed a gun and threw stones at a car owned by an Armenian, who also had his wife and 3-year-old inside the vehicle. Azerbaijani troops also conducted targeted shootings in the direction of Armenian territory, with one only 50 meters from a kindergarten.

During this same week 32 years ago, Armenians experienced a violent string of attacks in the Baku pogrom that resulted in nearly 100 killed and several hundred injured. For a week beginning on January 12, 2020, Azeri’s attacked ethnic Armenians living in the capital city.

Armenians displaced from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh) are still physically and mentally recovering from the war that began in mid-2020. The ongoing clashes and intimidation, despite a ceasefire in November 2020, leave the historically Christian nation in a state of uncertainty and fear.

https://www.persecut...enians-artsakh/

 


#55 Yervant1

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Posted 27 January 2022 - 09:49 AM

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Jan 26 2022
 
 
Azerbaijan Prevents Armenians from Visiting Dadivank Monastery
 

01/26/2022 Nagorno-Karabakh (International Christian Concern) – Azerbaijan continues to prevent Armenian pilgrims from visiting the Dadivank Monastery, where Christians seeking to visit have been banned since May. Five clergymen remain at the monastery with Russian peacekeepers staying nearby.

For months, the monks have carried out their activities and purposes in the presence of the peacekeepers, including prayer, conducting services and celebrating liturgies.  The Primate of the Artsakh Diocese, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, commented that it was unclear why Azerbaijan continues to forbid visitors as the area is not in a forbidden zone. He said, He said, “[The Azerbaijanis] do not permit it and that is it, without a reason. They do not say anything. The peacekeepers are in the territory of the monastery. They live together. Of course the rooms are different. They are separated: they are military, while the clergymen perform spiritual service. What the Azerbaijani side thinks is a secondary question. We are doing what we have to do.”

Armenians fondly recall the times of baptisms, blessings and larger corporate worship at Dadivank. Now, like many other cultural and physical aspects of life in and near Artsakh, visitation to Dadivank Monastery is but a memory. Azerbaijani aggression has limited the way of Armenian life and Christian culture.

 

https://www.persecut...vank-monastery/



#56 Yervant1

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Posted 20 February 2022 - 08:03 AM

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Feb 18 2022
 
 
Arstakh Homes Targeted by Azerbaijani Forces
 

02/18/2022 Nagorno-Karabakh (International Christian Concern) – Residential homes in Artsakh were targeted by Azerbaijani forces, including Karmir Shuka and Taghavard villages in Martuni. Bullets were fired before 6am on the morning of February 11, hitting the home of a woman and her three children who were inside.

Though the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, officially ended more than one year ago, Azeri aggression continues. Armenians are prevented from visiting their ancient Christian monasteries and cultural sites, while Azerbaijan prepares to purge Artsakh (Armenian: Nagorno-Karabakh) of its Armenian heritage and identity by remodeling remaining sites.

Two European legal scholars with a background in international law and the laws of war wrote in a recent article that Azerbaijan’s aggression and war against the Armenians of Artsakh was “illegal”. The article, published in the European Journal of International Law, states that Azerbaijan’s claim of self-defense and “counter-offensive” is unjustified because the Armenian Christians living in the land did not pose any threat of danger, nor instigate a conflict with the Muslim-majority nation.

https://www.persecut...baijani-forces/



#57 Yervant1

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Posted 14 April 2022 - 10:43 AM

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April 13 2022
 
 
Armenian School Vandalized in Turkey
 
 

04/13/2022 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – The gate to an Armenian school in Istanbul, Turkey was vandalized with a swastika. The act of vandalism occurred as Armenians prepare for Easter and look to remember the Armenian genocide anniversary, observed on April 24.

The same school in Istanbul faced anti-Armenian persecution in November 2016 when graffiti was written on the walls stating “One night, we suddenly will be in Karabagh”. Also in 2016, walls of Uskudar Surp Khach Seminary and Uskudar Kalfayan School were vandalized with anti-Armenian graffiti. The graffiti read “May the Turkish race live!” and “Torment Armenians”.

Armenian Christians and churches have faced vandalism and discrimination in Turkey annually around the time of the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide anniversary. Recently this included the acquittal of those who danced on the gate of an Armenian church in 2021.

https://www.persecut...dalized-turkey/



#58 Yervant1

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Posted 12 July 2022 - 07:20 AM

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July 9 2022
 
 
Defending Home Until the End
 
 
By ICC’s Field Correspondent
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07/09/2021 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Haykaz was born in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. After graduating high school, he became a student in Yerevan State University. Haykaz dreamed of becoming an IT professional.

Beginning in 2019, he has served in the military for two years on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan. During his service in the army as an artilleryman he went through two periods of conflict: in July of 2020 when the Azeri army attacked Tavush, a province in northeast of Armenia, and again in the 44-day Artsakh war. Haykaz was awarded the “Combat Duty” medal for his heroic behavior after the first.

Remembering that war, he once said to his family, “When I turn around, I see the villages at the border of Azerbaijan. I understand that our people sleep and wake up calmly every day with confidence that Armenian soldiers like me and my comrades cover their backs. How could we not fight for them? What can be better feeling than to serve our statehood and country?”

According to Haykaz’s father, during the war in July of 2020 his son called him and said that this probably would be his last call. “He called to say goodbye. The situation was really serious; heavy battles were taking place on the border of Tavush province, and the day he called would be a turning point. The elite unite of Azerbaijani armed forces called ‘Yashma’ were fighting against the Armenian soldiers.”

When the Artsakh war started, Haykaz was conducting his military duties in Tavush. He texted his sister Arevik, asking rhetorically, “The heavy fight is currently going on in Artsakh, and I don’t understand why they keep soldiers like me in here?” His sister, knowing there was truth in her brother’s question, was scared to lose him and texted back saying, “You have already given your fight a few months back, and now it is the turn of the soldiers who serve in Artsakh.”

Haykaz’s response was shocking, “No, it is our land and our people, there is no turns for these things. We have to protect our country at any cost, including with our lives. One day I am sure you will understand what I am saying.” Arevik responded, “I understand, but I love you more than Artsakh.”

Haykaz responded, “No, my sister, unfortunately you don’t understand. If Artsakh doesn’t exist, neither will you, nor will our home. If Artsakh does not exist, whole Armenia one day won’t exist.” On October 14, 2020, artilleryman Haykaz with his comrades were transferred to territory of Artsakh.

On October 29, two days before his 20th birthday, he was seriously injured by a UAV drone close to the town of Shushi. After undergoing the first emergency surgery in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, Haykaz was placed in an artificial coma and taken to a military hospital in Yerevan by military helicopter.

On his birthday, unaware of the situation, the relatives of Haykaz were impatiently waiting for his call to congratulate him. But they did not receive a call; the congratulations did not arrive. Haykaz “met” his 20th birthday in an artificial coma in the resuscitation department of a military hospital. He fought for his life for 15 days on the battlefields of Artsakh, and for 11 days in the intensive care unit. On November 9, when most of Artsakh was surrendered to the enemy, an hour before the war ended, the young soldier said goodbye to his life for eternity.

Haykaz defended his homeland to the end! He fought and did not run away even when he realized that something was “wrong in this war.” In his seconds-long telephone conversation with parents and close friends during the heavy war days, he mentioned a few times, “We are constantly going back, the tactical retreat is kind of strange, I guess we have to surround the enemy, but we do not. I do not understand what is happening.”

During his last telephone conversation with his mom he said, “I do not want to lose Artsakh in front of my eyes, but looks like it’s happening. I am ashamed of myself. This is a disgrace.” Soldier Haykaz Mkrtchyan was only 20 years old. Haykaz’s sister misses him very much and believes that her brother’s soul is soaring above Tavush in the mountains, the place which he fell in love with from first sight.

Despite the November ceasefire agreement, conflict and violence along the Artsakh borders continue. Further third-party investigation and oversight is needed to bring the reality of what has and is happening in Artsakh to light within the international community. For more information about the humanitarian impact, see ICC’s report Nagorno-Karabakh: A Humanitarian Perspective.

 

https://www.persecut...nding-home-end/

 

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#59 Yervant1

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Posted 28 July 2022 - 07:23 AM

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July 26 2022
 
 
Report on Azerbaijani Crimes Submitted to the UN
 
 

07/26/2022 Azerbaijan (International Christian Concern) – This month, a report submitted to the United Nations by a nonprofit human rights organization indicted Azerbaijan for crimes against historically Christian Armenians. The report documented recent Azerbaijani violations of an international treaty against racial discrimination. The Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ), which assembled and submitted the report, compiled the testimonies of returned Armenian prisoners of war, provocative comments by top Azerbaijani officials, accounts of forceable Armenian displacement, and other violations. Miriam Nazaretyan, a lawyer and board member for CFTJ, told CivilNet that the evidence demonstrates that Azerbaijan has continued “to treat Armenian detainees in the most depraved and inhuman ways, incite racial hatred against Armenians, and destroy, demolish, and vandalize Armenian cultural sites including churches and cemeteries.” These human rights abuses are direct breaches of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, a treaty to which Azerbaijan is a signatory. The UN committee in charge of overseeing the implementation of the treaty will review Azerbaijan’s compliance next month.

These ongoing concerns over human rights abuses come as Azerbaijan and Armenia approach the two-year anniversary of skirmishes that escalated into the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, fought between the two beginning in September of that year. Unfortunately, in the post-war period, levels of animosity between the two sides have remained high, and human rights violations have continued. The International Court of Justice already explicitly mandated Azerbaijan’s compliance with international law in a December 2021 ruling, but no enforcement mechanism exists to ensure Azerbaijan commits to change. Despite the lack of practical international enforcement, CFTJ hopes that reports like the one it submitted this month will serve to establish an impactful public record of human rights abuses. Haig Ter-Ghevondian, head of CFTJ’s translation team, explained their goals to CivilNet, “It’s like throwing pebbles in a pond. It’s not noticeable at first, but at some point, you’re going to notice that there’s a mound in the middle of the lake, and that’s what this is about.” While change is slow in coming, the efforts of organizations like CFTJ are indeed critical to bringing ongoing violations of human rights into the light.

 

https://www.persecut...s-submitted-un/



#60 Yervant1

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Posted 02 January 2023 - 08:51 AM

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Jan 1 2023
 
 
'Genocide' Warning: As Armenian Christians Face Potential Horror, Nagorno-Karabakh Official Speaks Out
 
 
 
 
 
Chaos is once again brewing over Nagorno-Karabakh, a small, landlocked region between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This area, also known as Artsakh and comprised chiefly of Armenian Christians, has been disputed for decades.
 

But experts are sounding the alarm, as the typical chaos plaguing the area has recently escalated.

Azerbaijani residents reportedly blocked the Lachin corridor Dec. 12, the only land passage into Nagorno-Karabakh, cutting off food, medical supplies, and travel between the area and Armenia.

That blockade is now approaching its second week, with desperation increasing.

A TRULY DIRE SITUATION

The situation is so dire a group of human rights organizations issued a genocide warning Monday, cautioning how deadly and diabolical the situation could become.

“The current Azerbaijani aggression against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh conforms to a long pattern of ethnic and religious cleansing of Armenian and other Christian communities in the region by the government of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Turkey, the Ottoman Empire, and their partisans,” the warning reads, in part.

The blockade is the clear catalyst for the increased alarm. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry placed blame for the closure on Russian peacekeepers who are responsible for the area under a 2020 peace agreement.

Part of that treaty called for Azerbaijan to ensure the safe passage of materials along that road, which is purportedly no longer happening.

The blockade is sparking a crisis Ruben Vardanyan, minister of state for Nagorno-Karabakh, is hoping to see remedied as quickly as possible, as his citizens do not have access to travel or much-needed resources.

“They block[ed] the road … without any negotiation with us,” Vardanyan told CBN’s Faithwire Friday.

Watch Vardanyan explain what’s happening on the ground:

But experts are sounding the alarm, as the typical chaos plaguing the area has recently escalated.

Azerbaijani residents reportedly blocked the Lachin corridor Dec. 12, the only land passage into Nagorno-Karabakh, cutting off food, medical supplies, and travel between the area and Armenia.

That blockade is now approaching its second week, with desperation increasing.

A TRULY DIRE SITUATION

The situation is so dire a group of human rights organizations issued a genocide warning Monday, cautioning how deadly and diabolical the situation could become.

“The current Azerbaijani aggression against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh conforms to a long pattern of ethnic and religious cleansing of Armenian and other Christian communities in the region by the government of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Turkey, the Ottoman Empire, and their partisans,” the warning reads, in part.

The blockade is the clear catalyst for the increased alarm. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry placed blame for the closure on Russian peacekeepers who are responsible for the area under a 2020 peace agreement.

Part of that treaty called for Azerbaijan to ensure the safe passage of materials along that road, which is purportedly no longer happening.

The blockade is sparking a crisis Ruben Vardanyan, minister of state for Nagorno-Karabakh, is hoping to see remedied as quickly as possible, as his citizens do not have access to travel or much-needed resources.

“They block[ed] the road … without any negotiation with us,” Vardanyan told CBN’s Faithwire Friday.

Watch Vardanyan explain what’s happening on the ground:

PREVIOUS ALTERCATIONS FUELING THE CRISIS

The current crisis comes after relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan also hit a significant roadblock this past September.

Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications at persecution watchdog Christian Solidarity International (CSI), told CBN’s Faithwire about the Sept. 13 event, its implications, and the complex history between the two nations.

Veldkamp, who has repeatedly told CBN in past interviews of his concern about an Azerbaijani invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, noted the Sept. 13 event was pervasive and troubling, as it extended beyond disputed territory.

“What was really shocking about this attack was that Azerbaijan was attacking the sovereign internationally recognized nation of Armenia itself,” he said. “For 48 hours straight, bombs fell on the country without stopping. … Seven thousand people fled for their lives, hundreds of soldiers were killed, and we just didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Horrific videos spread on social media exposing the attacks, with one clip allegedly showing Azerbaijani soldiers “desecrating the dead body of an Armenian woman soldier,” Veldkamp said.

Considering the strength of Azerbaijan in comparison to the more meager condition of Armenian resources, Veldkamp and others feared Armenia could have been entirely conquered by Azerbaijan.

“It was a really terrifying moment,” he said. “After 48 hours, a ceasefire was imposed apparently with the mediation of the United States, but the situation remains extremely tense.”

The latest blockade only ups the ante on those fears. Watch Veldkamp explain the September event in detail:

The Associated Press reported both sides of the September dispute were blaming one another for the chaos:

The fighting erupted minutes after midnight with Azerbaijani forces unleashing an artillery barrage and drone attacks in many sections of Armenian territory, according to Armenia’s Defense Ministry. It said shelling grew less intense during the day but Azerbaijani troops were trying to advance into Armenian territory.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said it was responding to a “large-scale provocation” by Armenia late Monday and early Tuesday. It said Armenian troops planted mines and fired on Azerbaijani military positions.

As Vardanyan and Veldkamp noted, the history runs deep.

WHY HAVE AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA BEEN CLASHING?

Veldkamp said the roots of the dispute are “long and complicated,” explaining that “Azerbaijani national identity has been formed in opposition to Armenia.”

Fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh exacerbates that tumultuous relationship.

In a way, he said, both nations are making claims on the same land. And mirroring Vardanyan, he said Armenia is a democracy, while Azerbaijan is “one of the most repressive dictatorships in the world.”

“Dictators tend to look for enemies [to] rally the people around,” Veldkamp said. “So, under the current government, Azerbaijan has really made hatred of Armenians into a unifying national ideology.”

He said there are museums in Azerbaijan that show Armenians with large noses and strange features, as well as “state propaganda” making it appear as though Armenians are harming Azerbaijanis.

Veldkamp said the impact of this campaign creates violence when Azerbaijanis encounter people from Armenia. Beyond these elements, Russia’s fledgling efforts in Ukraine are one of the other reasons he and others believe Azerbaijan is now intensifying assaults on Armenia.

“Traditionally, Russia has been the only power that can really restrain Azerbaijan and Turkey in the region,” Veldkamp said. “But now, Russia’s tied down.”

Those distractions might be sparking Azerbaijan’s efforts in the territory, particularly in the ongoing power dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

A NATION BORN OUT OF GENOCIDE

It’s perhaps also important to go back further to understand the past 100 years of disorder in the area. One must begin with a tragic fact: Armenia is very much a nation born out of genocide.

The Armenian Genocide unfolded during World War I and led to Turkey killing 1.5 million Armenians. Turkey, which has historically denied this genocide occurred, has been accused of helping Azerbaijan in the current conflict, adding extra layers to the disarray.

“Before World War I, the country that we know of as Turkey today was controlled by the last Islamic empire. It was called the Ottoman Empire,” Veldkamp explained. “About a fifth of the population was Christian and most of them were Armenians, but when World War I started, the rulers of the Ottoman Empire decided that these Christians were a security threat and they decided to liquidate them.”

Starting in 1915, more than a million Armenians were slaughtered, with many more forced from their homes or deported.

“The vast majority of what Armenians would consider to be their homeland was lost to them forever and all they were able to hold on to was this tiny little sliver of land that we know of today as the republic of Armenia,” Veldkamp said. “[It] has Turkey on one side of it and on the other side of it [is] Azerbaijan.”

But that wasn’t the end of Armenia’s plight. After the genocide, the Soviet Union conquered Armenia and forced the nation into its borders. This, too, led to pain, suffering, and persecution.

“For 70 years, Christians were severely persecuted, churches were closed, priests were sent to the gulag, and the country suffered just a great deal under Russian rule,” Veldkamp said.

In 1991, Armenia once again became free, though current struggles persist.

BREAKING DOWN MORE ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Some of the contemporary roots in the Nagorno-Karabakh stalemate took form from the late 1980s through 1994, with war breaking out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the land.

“It’s kind of on this land bridge between Iran, Turkey, and Russia,” Veldkamp said in a previous interview. “[It’s] a very complicated part of the world.”

The Soviets first established the region in the 1920s, according to The Washington Post.

Decades later, in 1988, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, who are 95% ethnically Armenian, reportedly decided to become part of Armenia, considering they shared a common language and religion.

“In 1988, the Nagorno-Karabakh legislature passed a resolution to join Armenia despite the region’s legal location within Azerbaijan’s borders,” the Council on Foreign Relations wrote. “As the Soviet Union was dissolving in 1991, the autonomous region officially declared independence.”

This attempt at leaving the Soviet nation of Azerbaijan for Armenia, then another Soviet country, sparked decades of conflict and anger. According to Veldkamp, Azerbaijan has been “trying to wipe these people out essentially,” with deadly clashes leading to monumental losses.

Azerbaijan essentially lost, and Nagorno-Karabakh became a de facto independent state. For years, the situation persisted along those same lines, with occasional issues flaring and without real resolution.

But then the crisis more deeply devolved in 2020.

“In 2020, Azerbaijan attacked again, and this time they won the war,” Veldkamp said. “It was a ferocious war. Seven thousand people were killed in just 44 days, and some 35,000 Christians were driven out of their homes, and the Armenian Christians of Karrabach lost a lot of their land.”

Land loss reportedly came as a result of the Russian-brokered ceasefire.

That conflict has left the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in a precarious place, with the military of Azerbaijan essentially surrounding them and peacekeepers barely keeping pandemonium at bay.

“[The] only thing defending them is this small group of Russian peacekeepers,” Veldkamp said. “This is not a good time to have Russia be your only protection.”

Russia’s role in the conflict comes as Vladimir Putin continues a brutal assault on Ukraine. That conflict is making Russia’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh drama much more complicated.

Plus, it has been widely seen as ineffective at stemming the problem. Alex Fults and Paul Stronski of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote in April that Russia’s ceasefire hasn’t given “full stability” or “security” to the region.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Veldkamp said the Armenian chaos is an interesting dynamic in which the interests of the United States and Christians collide and overlap.

“As believers, we should look at Armenia and say, ‘This is the oldest Christian country in the world.’ This is a country that’s held on to Christianity through genocide, through Soviet Communism, through the gulags, and they’re hanging on to life,” he said. “They have some of the oldest Christian traditions in the world, and they need our help.”

From a geopolitical perspective, Veldkamp said, the U.S. is always looking to diminish Russia’s influence in the region. Considering America already gives military aid to Azerbaijan, the U.S. is essentially already involved in the crisis. This is why America has been concerned, trying to bring the two sides together.

“These are really crucial weeks and months ahead,” Veldkamp said.

THE RELIGIOUS ROOTS

While the government of Azerbaijan is secular and not officially Islamic, the nation’s populace is predominately Muslim.

Regardless of motive, Veldkamp said Azerbaijan wants to see the predominately Christian people of Nagorno-Karabakh “destroyed.”

“People are trying to wipe out our Christian brothers and sisters,” he said. “We want to be there for them. We want to support them.”

International Christian Concern sounded the alarm on the same issue in a March 2022 statement, warning that “aggression and cultural erasure of the Christian nation continues today.” In June, the organization noted the U.S. Department of State’s “2021 Report on International Religious Freedom” expressed concerns over the “destruction of Armenian religious sites by Azerbaijan.”

“According to a bishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church, since May, the 

government refused access of Armenian pilgrims to a monastery in the territory that returned to Azerbaijani control after the 2020 fighting,” the report reads, in part.

Open Doors USA noted similar fears in 2020 over the 1,600 historic Armenian Christian chapels, artifacts, and monuments that were at risk of being destroyed; as a result, the organization issued a forewarning about the potential “damaging [of] the region’s Christian heritage.”

Of course, the broader impact of war and the intense battles on the ground have sparked increased needs for the populace. Continue to pray as the blockade exacerbates these constraints.

Watch the videos at the link below.

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/2023/january/genocide-warning-as-armenian-christians-face-potential-horror-nagorno-karabakh-official-speaks-out







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