A new 2026 annual report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has raised serious concerns about the treatment of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan and the ongoing destruction of Armenian Christian heritage in occupied Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), highlighting cases of abuse, religious repression, and the erasure of centuries-old Armenian religious sites.
The report says Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan have been denied access to Bibles and other religious materials, while some also reportedly had cross tattoos burned off their bodies
According to the report, nearly two dozen Armenian Christian prisoners from Artsakh were tried behind closed doors without adequate legal counsel and have reportedly faced beatings, psychological abuse, denial of proper food and medical care, and restrictions on their religious rights while in Azerbaijani custody. Family members say Armenian detainees were prevented from receiving religious materials, particularly Bibles, while the report also cites disturbing allegations that some prisoners had cross tattoos burned off their bodies. The report notes that while Azerbaijani authorities have claimed prisoners have access to religious materials, those claims sharply contrast with accounts from family members.
The findings were underscored in a special opinion by USCIRF Commissioner and Committee Chair Vicki Hartzler, who argued that Azerbaijan should be moved from the Special Watch List to the more severe designation of “Country of Particular Concern” for what she described as ongoing, egregious, and severe violations of religious freedom. The report states that Azerbaijan presents itself as supportive of religious freedom on the surface while doing the opposite in practice, citing torture, repression of religious activity, the expulsion of independent media and the Red Cross, and the destruction of religious heritage sites. It also notes that police are not being held accountable for abuses.
The report further states that a USCIRF delegation traveled to Azerbaijan in February to assess religious freedom conditions and meet with government officials. While Azerbaijani authorities expressed a willingness to engage, the commission said there has been no significant progress in implementing its recommendations.
Beyond the abuse of Armenian prisoners, the report raises grave concerns about the fate of Armenian religious heritage in territories that came under Azerbaijani control following the 2020 war and Azerbaijan’s 2023 military assault and ethnic cleansing campaign, which forcibly displaced more than 120,000 indigenous Armenians from Artsakh. USCIRF warns that Armenian religious monuments in Artsakh and adjacent territories remain under threat.
Satellite imagery cited in the report identified at least eight Armenian religious sites that have been destroyed and another ten that have been damaged. These sites include historic churches, cemeteries, and other cultural and religious artifacts representing more than two thousand years of Armenian Christian presence in the region.
As a result, the commission recommended that Azerbaijan be designated a “Country of Particular Concern,” the U.S. government’s most serious classification for countries engaged in severe violations of religious freedom. The report also notes that if Azerbaijan wants to be considered a full partner of the United States and advance shared economic and strategic goals, it must take real steps to genuinely respect religious freedom and end ongoing abuses.
The findings add to mounting evidence that the indigenous Armenian people of Artsakh were not only ethnically cleansed from their ancestral homeland, but are now seeing their prisoners abused, their faith desecrated, and their Christian heritage systematically targeted under Azerbaijani control.
