This year’s report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also addressed the situation in Azerbaijan, highlighting the endangerment of Armenian religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armen Ashotyan, vice chairman of Armenia’s Republican Party, wrote about the report on his Facebook page, presenting several key findings.
He noted that the authors of the report placed Azerbaijan on the Special Watch List.
“The document specifically notes:
‘Historic Armenian religious sites located in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas remain at risk from Azerbaijan.
As of July, satellite imagery revealed 8 destroyed and another 10 damaged religious sites, including churches, cemeteries and other artifacts.
In addition, family members reported that Armenian prisoners are prohibited from receiving religious items such as the Bible, although the Azerbaijani government claims prisoners have access to religious materials.
Moreover, one of the report’s authors attached a special opinion stating that about two dozen Armenian Christian prisoners from Nagorno-Karabakh, tried behind closed doors without proper legal counsel, were subjected to beatings, psychological abuse, lack of medical care and adequate food, denial of Bibles, and the burning of cross tattoos to erase them,’” the post said.
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack against Nagorno-Karabakh, placing the entire territory under massive artillery bombardment. A day later, on September 20, the authorities of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic accepted the proposal of the command of the Russian peacekeeping mission to cease fire, agreeing to Baku’s conditions, including the disarmament of the Defense Army and the dissolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
The attack left 223 people dead, including 20 civilians, six of whom were minors.
From September 24, the forced displacement of Karabakh Armenians began, with more than 100,000 people fleeing to Armenia.
According to some reports, about 20 Armenians remained in Nagorno-Karabakh. Of them, 11 later returned to Armenia, one died and one was detained.
