Zartonk Media will submit this report to the relevant international bodies, global cultural preservation organizations, and leading international journalists to raise urgent awareness about the ongoing destruction of Armenian heritage in occupied Artsakh.
The iconic We Are Our Mountains monument, known as “Tatik-Papik” (Grandma-Grandpa), widely regarded as a symbol of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), has been vandalized with Azerbaijani-language hate speech in Azerbaijan-occupied Artsakh, according to new evidence released by the Geghard Scientific Analytical Foundation and ethnic Talysh Azerbaijani journalist Rahim Shaliyev, who documented the defacement in photos and video.
Following the 2020 war, Azerbaijan imposed a blockade on Artsakh from December 2022 to September 2023, which culminated in a military offensive on September 19, 2023. The assault resulted in the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of more than 100,000 indigenous Armenians of Artsakh.
We Are Our Mountains (Menk Enk Mer Sareru) is a monument in Stepanakert, occupied Artsakh, completed in 1967 by Sargis Baghdasaryan. Made from volcanic tuff and depicting an old man and woman, it is widely regarded as a symbol of the Armenian heritage of Artsakh, with some considering it to be a symbol of Armenian identity as a whole.
The Geghard Scientific Analytical Foundation, a Yerevan-based research institution, released photos showing obscene writings in the Azerbaijani language on the front of the monument, while Shaliyev posted a video on X showing Azerbaijani-language graffiti on the statue. The research center warned that Armenian cultural heritage across Artsakh remains at risk and noted in a press release that the monument has been repeatedly targeted by vandals ever since Azerbaijan occupied Artsakh in 2023.
One instance of hate speech on the monument, written in Azerbaijani, “itl?ri qovluq,” translates as “We chased away the dogs.” The photos and video were first posted online by Shaliyev, who wrote on X: “The historical monument ‘We Are Our Mountains,’ considered a symbol of Artsakh [NK], was vandalized by Azerbaijanis.”
In its press release, the Geghard Foundation stated: “Since September 19, 2023, after Azerbaijan’s military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, followed by ethnic cleansing and the depopulation of Armenians, the We Are Our Mountains monument has been particularly targeted by Azerbaijanis. During this period, various photos and videos have repeatedly appeared online showing acts of vandalism against the monument, people taking photos next to it with the Azerbaijani flag, making insulting statements about Armenians, and leaving offensive inscriptions. From time to time, statements are even made in Azerbaijan calling for the destruction of this Armenian monument.”
The foundation also pointed to the statement by Gudrat Hasanguliyev, a member of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis and chairman of the “Justice, Law, Democracy” party, who called for the monument’s destruction in August 2023.
Another member of the Milli Majlis, Fazail Ibrahimli, has also supported statements about removing Armenian traces from occupied Artsakh.
“It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan is not restrained even by the decision of the International Court of Justice from December 7, 2021, which obliged Azerbaijan to ‘take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage…’ Despite its policy of cultural vandalism in Artsakh [NK], yesterday Azerbaijan was once again elected a member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, thereby formally committing itself to preserving cultural monuments. It is evident that Armenian religious, historical, and cultural heritage in Artsakh [NK] remains under threat. Baku has not abandoned, and will not abandon its efforts to erase Armenian traces from the settlements of Artsakh, change their Armenian character, and ‘Azerbaijanize’ them,” the scientific analytical center said.
