Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has shared footage showing Azerbaijani sodliers vandalizing the St. Yeghishe Armenian Church in Mataghis, Artsakh (19th century).

“The Azerbaijani servicemen (the Turkish flag is also clearly visible on the uniform) are cynically vandalizing the Armenian church, openly showing the deliberate insult to the church and knowing that the church is Armenian,” the Ombudsman said.

“It is obvious that this is an act of open hatred, both on ethnic and religious grounds. Moreover, this is not a separate case, but a result of years of systematic policy of hatred and enmity in Azerbaijan, which continues today,” Tatoyan said.

The Human Rights Defender will present this case to the international bodies, noting that it is another proof that a policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Armenians was carried out in Artsakh in September-November 2020.