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An article recently published in the Washington Times misleadingly praised Azerbaijan as “a beacon of religious tolerance.” While it is important to recognize any positive steps toward fostering inclusivity and peace, it is crucial to keep such steps in realistic scope. The portrayal of Azerbaijan as a model for fostering religious freedom requires much closer examination, as the reality on the ground tells a very different story—just ask the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and especially the Armenian Christians of Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh).
In recent years, the dictatorial Aliyev regime of Azerbaijan has committed genocide against the indigenous Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh, as assessed by leading international experts, including the first Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, and the first UN Special Advisor on Genocide Prevention, Juan Mendez. Besides destroying numerous Christian cemeteries, churches and other religious and cultural sites, the Azerbaijani genocidal policy culminated in the forced displacement of nearly 150,000 Armenian Christians from a region that has been home to their communities for millennia.
Azerbaijan: A Hell of Human Rights and Freedoms
For many years, Freedom House reports have categorized Azerbaijan as "not free," with some of the worst scores for political rights and civil liberties worldwide. In addition to the systematic violations of the Azerbaijani people domestically, the Aliyev regime has specifically and more brutally targeted the Armenian people.
Following the first phase of the genocide in 2020, the Azerbaijani government imposed a blockade on Nagorno-Karabakh's 120,000 Armenian Christian inhabitants in December 2022. As documented by Amnesty International and other leading human rights organizations, the blockade caused critical shortages of basic necessities, including food, medicine and fuel, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis.
Despite orders from the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) on February 22 and July 6, 2023, demanding Azerbaijan lift the blockade, the Aliyev regime not only maintained the blockade but also launched aggression in September, causing the forced displacement of the entire population. Subsequently, on November 17, 2023, the ICJ issued a new order acknowledging the forced displacement and ordering Azerbaijan to ensure the safe and unimpeded return of the Nagorno-Karabakh people, the protection of cultural and religious heritage and several other steps.
Additionally, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has expressed concern about the prevalence of hate speech targeting Armenians in Azerbaijan. The ECRI's latest report highlights ongoing issues of racism and intolerance, indicating a severe and persistent problem within the country. The UN Committee against Torture (CAT) has also expressed alarm over reports of extrajudicial killings, torture, and ill-treatment of Armenians during the conflict. The UN CAT highlighted that these acts are often driven by ethnic hatred and called for independent investigations into these allegations.
Religious Freedom of Christian Armenians in the Fires of Human Rights Hell of Azerbaijan
In its latest annual report, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that the State Department designate Azerbaijan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). This recommendation is a significant upgrade from their previous recommendation to place Azerbaijan on the Special Watch List. USCIRF documented a significant increase in the number of prisoners arrested on the basis of religion or belief, with authorities regularly accused of torturing detainees. Additionally, USCIRF highlighted the destruction of significant cultural and religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, including the systematic eradication of Armenian cultural heritage.
The Azerbaijani policy of cultural genocide against Armenians has a long history dating back to Soviet times. Before the 2020 aggression and occupation of Armenian lands, the culmination of that policy was the mass destruction of thousands of Armenian and Christian monuments in Nakhijevan by Azerbaijani authorities in the 2000s.
However, the basis for the latest USCIRF recommendation is the new period of cultural genocide launched since 2020. As a result of the aggressions in 2020 and 2023, over 6,000 Armenian cultural monuments, including more than 400 churches built since the 4th century, have fallen under Azerbaijani occupation. Along with hundreds of documented vandalism cases, one of the latest and most painful examples is the complete destruction of the Saint John Baptist (Kanach Zham) church in occupied Shushi, where I got married in 2017. Another recent crime was the complete destruction of the Saint Ascension Church of Berdzor (Lachin), further illustrating the systematic and unpunished eradication of Armenian and Christian cultural heritage.
Some of the earlier similar crimes included the case of the complete destruction of the Holy Mother of God Church of Mekhakavan (Jabrayil), investigated and documented by the BBC in 2021. During the 2020 aggression, the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi was struck twice by the Azerbaijani forces, resulting in significant damage. Human Rights Watch documented this attack, assessing it as a war crime.
Based on many documented cases, on December 7, 2021, the ICJ indicated in its Order that Azerbaijan "shall take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artefacts." After that ruling, the European Parliament called on Azerbaijan to fully implement the provisional decision of the ICJ, in particular by "refraining from suppressing the Armenian language, destroying Armenian cultural heritage or otherwise eliminating the existence of the historical Armenian cultural presence or inhibiting Armenians’ access and enjoyment thereof" and by "restoring or returning any Armenian cultural and religious buildings and sites, artefacts or objects."
Despite these documented human rights violations and international crimes, no international mission has accessed to Nagorno-Karabakh. Even UNESCO has been blocked by Azerbaijan from sending a mission and monitoring the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, as officially stated in their December 2020 announcement.
My personal experience and that of my people underscore the severity of this situation. After being forcibly displaced from our homes in September 2023, none of us are allowed to return to our homes or visit our churches and cemeteries. Moreover, with deep pain and anxiety, we often follow satellite and Azerbaijani imagery showing the destruction of our churches, cemeteries, homes and other heritage in our occupied ancient land. These continuous crimes highlight the ongoing international impunity of the Aliyev regime and the need for urgent international protection of our people and heritage. Behind this criminal scene, we record the profound immorality of the international community when, just after the forced displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh, it was decided to hold the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in oil-rich, authoritarian and genocidal Azerbaijan in 2024.
In conclusion, while some communities of faith may experience relative and demonstrative freedom in Azerbaijan, the overwhelming evidence of genocide, mass violations of human rights and freedoms of Armenian Christians, as well as domestic violations and restrictions, create a strong case for why Azerbaijan should be designated as a country of particular concern and held accountable by the international community. USCIRF’s bold action in highlighting Azerbaijan’s heinous behavior is a significant step forward in the fight to expand religious freedom and hold accountable those countries and individuals that target innocent people of faith. Hence, the State Department should follow this recommendation and introduce sanctions over the dictatorial and genocidal Aliyev regime of Azerbaijan, which is not “a beacon” but a hellof human rights.
Artak Beglaryan is the head of the “Artsakh Union” NGO and former Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. He is an alumnus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He has been also forcibly displaced from his home in Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan in 2023 and has sought refuge in Armenia.
