HRC 52nd Session: Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief

13 March, 2023

Delivered by Hrachuhi KATVALYAN, Deputy Permanent Representative

President,

Armenia thanks Special Rapporteur for the comprehensive report.

We would like to share our concern with regard to the defiance of Azerbaijan to the international calls for the protection of the freedom of religion and belife of Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Special procedures have inquired Azerbaijan on intentional targeting of the Armenian Holy Savior Cathedral in Shushi, which (I quote) “is religiously significant”, “an important site of pilgrimage”. They further urged Azerbaijan to consult with the Armenian Church on the refurbishment of the Cathedral and to indicate when it will be safe to resume religious services. All requests have been ignored.

The SR on cultural rights warned that the actions of Azerbaijan may be a way to erase connections of holy sites to the Armenian Church.

Azerbaijan officialy announced its decision to review and revise the cultural heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh. With many Armenian religious sites already destroyed and misappropriated, this decision threatens with the elimination of the remaining ones.

Azerbaijan has also failed to implement the binding Order of the ICJ (and I quote) “to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage.”

I thank you.

1^st Right of Reply to the statements of Azerbaijan delivered during Interactive Dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on torture and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief

President,

Armenia would like to exercise its right of reply to Azerbaijan.

On numerous occasions Armenia has drawn the attention of the international community to mistreatment and torture of the Armenian PoWs and civilians captured by the Azerbaijani armed forces during and in the aftermath of the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Human Rights Watch published a detailed report of cases of torture, inhumane and degrading treatment of Armenians under the Azerbaijani custody. There are still 33 Armenians, both civilian and military alike, detained in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan blatantly ignores the Orders of the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights adopted on Armenian detainees. Many more people are counted as enforced disappearances.

The UN Mandate Holders expressed most serious concern at the (and I quote) “intentional extrajudicial killings and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and even amounting to torture of hors de combat Armenian soldiers as well as outrages upon personal dignity and disrespectful treatment of human remains.” (end of quote)

The Mandate Holders also reported on deaths of Armenian PoWs caused by inadequate medical treatment, as well as on desecration of the bodies of Armenian soldiers, including women. They stressed that these violations could amount to various war crimes in contravention of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, of which Azerbaijan is a party.

On November 2021 Azerbaijan announced an amnesty for all those who participated in the war against Nagorno-Karabakh conveniently putting to rest even the theoretical possibilities for accountability on the crimes identified by the Mandate Holders.

This applies also to the numerous cases of destruction and desecration of Armenian religious heritage. Instead of addressing the calls of the ICJ and UN Mandate Holders for the preservation of the Armenian religious sites, Azerbaijan continues the destruction. Moreover, Azerbaijan unapologetically alleges that Armenians have purportedly damaged the religious monuments of Azerbaijan. This is a false narrative created to hide vandalism committed by Azerbaijan that The Guardian newspaper called “The worst cultural genocide of the 21^st century.”

In this regard it is suffice to recall that Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have repeatedly requested UNESCO to dispatch a fact-finding mission of to the region. UNESCO Assistant Director General has publicly confirmed that Azerbaijan hinders the said mission to Nagorno-Karabakh.

I thank you.

2nd Right of Reply to the statements of Azerbaijan delivered during Interactive Dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on torture and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief

President,

Armenia exercises its second right of reply in response to Azerbaijan.

Armenia resolutely rejects all false allegations presented against Armenia by the delegation of Azerbaijan.

The purpose of the destruction of Armenian religious heritage is to deprive indigenous people of Nagorno-Karabakh of places of worship where they can return, as well as to erase the history of their presence and claim a monopoly or monoethnic identity. For instance, the complete demolition of the Armenian Holy Mother of God Church near the town of Mekhakavan was documented by the BBC reporters in 2020.

Armenia is also gravely concerned at the attempts for the appropriation of the Armenian cultural and religious sites, which is pursued by the way of distortion of the identity of the indigenous Armenian heritage through “cultural misappropriation”.

This is an ethnic cleansing in action. After forcefully expelling the indigenous Armenian population, Azerbaijan now wipes out any traces of the Armenian presence.

Azerbaijan denies the Armenians access to the churches, monasteries, cemeteries and other sacred sites, including to the population that has recently been displaced. That is also the case for the pilgrimages. This is a blatant breach of the Nagorno-Karabakh people’s right to freedom of religion.

Azerbaijan tends to pursue talks of peace at the high-end multilateral diplomacy salons here and there. The latter’s talk of loving peace should be substantiated with corresponding actions on the ground.

I thank you.

MFA RA
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