The “Ad Hoc Public Report on the Azerbaijani Targeted Attacks Against the St .Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Shushi, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as a War Crime and Crime Against Humanity” has been released within the scope of the fact-finding mission being implemented by the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

The Report presents the targeted striking of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Shushi by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijani and the analysis of the striking in the context of international humanitarian law and international criminal law.

The presented facts soundly prove that the atrocities of the Azerbaijanis against the people of Artsakh starting from September 27, 2020 are accompanied by intentional targeting of cultural and religious heritage of Armenians in Artsakh.

On 8 October 2020, Azerbaijani armed forces launched two intentional assaults on Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Artsakh in the town of Shushi, which is the recognizable cultural and religious symbol of Artsakh. The Azerbaijani forces struck the cathedral for two times within a few hours with use of striking and manageable drones. This act of Azerbaijan is in line with its continuous practice of destroying Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh. It also demonstrates radical disrespect towards Christian element of Armenian identity.

Click here to read the Report.