Masochism and diaspora: how Armenian community reminds world of its crimes

The revanchist circles in the neighboring country are struggling with depression caused by the hopelessness surrounding the implementation of the main doctrine of the Armenian community regarding the expansion of its territorial reach, finding solace in examining satellite images. Google is there to help. Day and night, they scrutinize the territory of liberated Karabakh, seizing on every detail. All of this is reminiscent of examining images of the Martian surface taken by a rover, in which dreamers and sensationalists often see things that aren’t actually there. 

Revanchists are, rather, lovers of provocations, not sensations. And when they also team up with the diaspora, this tandem produces an even more unhealthy offspring.Recently, an organization called Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW), which specializes in provocations and fakes, staged yet another hysterical outburst.

It should be recalled that CHW is an organization established after the Second Karabakh War by CIAMS professors Lori Khachaduryan and Adam T. Smith from Cornell University, in collaboration with Ian Lindsay from Purdue University. This paid diaspora team, led by Mrs. Khachaduryan, earns extra income by reviewing satellite images, calling it “monitoring of threatened cultural heritage in the South Caucasus.” It is clear that we are talking exclusively about spying on what is happening in the territories of Azerbaijan that have been liberated from Armenian occupation, and not about the South Caucasus as a whole. The diaspora pays for the services of certain figures from American universities not for any kind of Caucasian heritage.This time, so to speak, the researchers “did not find” some kind of cemetery and “medieval” khachkars on the satellite image. We will not comment on yet another set of visual hallucinations by provocateurs. First, they must prove their objectivity by monitoring the situation regarding the Armenian?destroyed cemeteries and Azerbaijani historical and cultural monuments during the years of occupation, and by reporting on the 70 destroyed mosques, dug?up graves, and so on. So that we can believe that, under the leadership of an Armenian woman and with the funds of the Armenian community, an organization has indeed been created that is concerned about the heritage of the South Caucasus, and not just about the ethnic group that lays claim to the lands of Azerbaijan. 

If professors and associate professors don’t have time for this due to their excessive academic workload, we can help them gather the information. Although it is already extensive and accessible to anyone who is genuinely concerned about the heritage of the peoples of the Caucasus.

If we’re talking about Armenia, then after the expulsion of Azerbaijanis, virtually all Azerbaijani cemeteries, historical monuments, and mosques that still remained on the country’s territory were destroyed. According to Azerbaijani researchers and government agencies (within the framework of the “Western Azerbaijan” concept), there were hundreds of Azerbaijani cemeteries on the territory of modern Armenia. Most of them have been wiped off the face of the earth, abandoned, ploughed over, or used for construction. Cemeteries in historical settlements where Azerbaijanis lived compactly were destroyed. In Yerevan, including the ancient Azerbaijani cemetery in the Tepebashi district (the current Kond), as well as in other regions of the country.

The Western Azerbaijan community carried out a large?scale monitoring of Azerbaijani cemeteries using archival materials and satellite images. Earlier, in an interview with “Halq Gazeti,” the head of the community, Aziz Alekberli, said that as part of the study, declassified images of American reconnaissance satellites KORONA, Gambit, and Heksagon from the second half of the 20th century, which had been declassified, were analyzed. These are 712 images and more than 2,000 photographs. According to the monitoring results, asphalt roads have been laid on the sites of 12 cemeteries, residential buildings have been erected on the sites of 16, 56 have been turned into cropland, acts of vandalism have been recorded on 67 sites, industrial and production facilities have been built on the sites of 4, fortification works have been carried out on 5, the consequences of various construction works are visible on the sites of 32, 6 have been turned into Armenian cemeteries through reburial, and reservoirs have been built on the territory of 3 cemeteries, the head of the Community reported.

Unfortunately, there are no extensive details regarding the current state of Azerbaijani burial sites in Armenia. However, we can talk about the situation in the territories that were under thirty years of occupation, armed with all the facts.The well?known Azerbaijani architect Elchin Aliyev, who visited the area after the complete liberation of Lachin, was one of the first researchers to be able to visit the historical monuments of Lachin. During his trip, he saw in what deplorable condition many unique monuments of our history are: abandoned for decades, crudely altered, partially destroyed, changed, forgotten... And the numerous ancient cemeteries in the territory of the second-largest district of Azerbaijan have been completely wiped off the face of the earth and barbarously plundered. In search of valuables, graves have been dug up, tombstones have been toppled, and skulls are lying everywhere, the architect said. “How could one stoop to such sacrilege? Perhaps this is the most terrible thing I have ever seen during my recent trip to Lachin,” he admitted.

The world?famous photojournalist Reza Degati also visited Lachin after the city was liberated and witnessed the same scene. “We saw with our own eyes the destruction and atrocities here. The houses and cemeteries of the Azerbaijanis have been destroyed and burned down. In the cemetery, the tombstones have been dug up and stolen, and the graves have been desecrated. It is dangerous to walk through the cemetery, as mines have been planted in many places. The graves of the Azerbaijanis have been opened, and gold crowns have been removed from the teeth of the deceased,” the photojournalist was horrified. Earlier, he told the world about the monstrous act of vandalism committed by Armenian occupiers at the Imanen cemetery in Agdam, where the grave of the poetess Natavan was destroyed and her remains were taken to an unknown location.

According to a report by the office of Azerbaijan’s ombudsman, during the occupation period, more than 900 Azerbaijani cemeteries were either completely destroyed and obliterated, or the bodies were removed, desecrated, and tombstones were destroyed. Thus, during the years of occupation, one of the oldest cemeteries in the region — Garagadzhi, located near Agdam — was destroyed. The cemetery is 3 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide. According to archaeologists, it is three thousand years old. The oldest surviving tombstone, or rather, the one that existed before the Armenian occupation, dates back to 1174. Over the 28 years of occupation, Armenians destroyed both the graves and the four mausoleums located in the cemetery.

Is it really true that a small patch of land with 35 headstones (as the “researchers” claim) is more visible from space than a giant cemetery covering 6 square kilometers with thousands of ruined graves? Yes, the cemetery is very old, and there were many dilapidated graves there. But dilapidated does not mean ruined. Furthermore, one of the Russian bloggers who illegally visited Karabakh during the occupation filmed a video of Garagadzhi in 2008, and this made it possible to compare the situation with what was revealed after the liberation of Aghdam.

Azerbaijani cemeteries were destroyed, looted, razed to the ground, and turned into arable land. Tombstones became building material for Armenian houses; the occupiers did not shy away from desecrating graves and searching for valuables in the burial sites. Yes, it’s hard to believe such a thing for someone who is far from the region and has only heard about Armenians through Armenian propaganda. But all of this really happened. Also, Azerbaijani cemeteries were mined, especially actively in the run?up to the end of the occupation. For example, in August, while digging a grave at Garagadzhi, citizens came across an ammunition item. Fortunately, no tragedy occurred.

After November 2020 and until September 2023, the destruction and desecration of Azerbaijani cemeteries that had not yet been destroyed or desecrated continued at an accelerated pace. Armenians did not think about how all this would end for them and did not hesitate to display their vile “deeds” on social media. Moreover, Azerbaijani graves that had miraculously survived the conflict on the territory of Armenia were deliberately desecrated. The neighbors took revenge for their defeat and the shame they felt on the dead, since they did not have the strength to do so on the living.

After all this, raising the topic of “Armenian heritage” is not just cynicism—it’s sheer folly. Every such outcry about the “destruction of Armenian heritage” ends up bringing a truly vast array of facts about Armenian vandalism back onto the agenda. It seems our neighbors are suffering from masochism if they deliberately provoke such attacks against themselves time and again.

In light of the ongoing and rather successful peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Azerbaijani side has been trying to raise such sensitive topics less frequently lately, so as not to create a negative backdrop. However, certain circles within the Armenian community, who are not interested in peace, persistently provoke “fire” on our side. Perhaps some Mr. Smith from Cornell University and some Mr. Lindsay from Purdue University are not even in the loop. These gentlemen are simply needed to add some flair to the list of initiators. But Madame Khachaduryan definitely knows what she’s doing.

Be that as it may, the diaspora’s money is once again being wasted. Looking at the liberated territories of Azerbaijan via Google Maps will not yield anything practical for Armenians. It will not harm the peace agenda either, because Baku knows how to, roughly speaking, separate the wheat from the chaff.

Simply put, revanchists, separatists, and others should always keep in mind that Azerbaijan has something to respond with. And it would be better for the Armenian side to calm down and take a deep breath.