2020 Ghazanchetsots Cathedral shelling

{{Campaignbox 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war}}

The shelling took place on the 11th day of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a continuation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region dating from before the fall of communism. Shusha was held by the Republic of Artsakh, an ethnic Armenian polity since the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. In Azerbaijan, the loss of Shusha in 1992 was especially mourned as the city was the cultural centre of Azerbaijani poets, musicians, and composers.{{Cite news|last=Freeman|first=Colin|date=2020-10-08|title=Steeped in blood: the hilltop town at centre of the ethnic feud between Azerbaijan and Armenia|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/10/08/steeped-blood-hilltop-town-centre-ethnic-feud-azerbaijan-armenia/|access-date=2020-11-10|issn=0307-1235}} Prior to the war, the cathedral had been damaged in ethnic violence surrounding the 1920 Shusha massacre of Armenians and then used as storehouse in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, until Shusha fell to the Armed Forces of Armenia in 1992.{{Cite news|date=2020-10-08|title=Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenia claims cathedral hit by Azerbaijan shelling|url=https://www.dw.com/en/nagorno-karabakh-armenia-claims-cathedral-hit-by-azerbaijan-shelling/a-55209042|access-date=2020-11-10|website=Deutsche Welle|language=en-GB}} The building was then restored in the 1990s by the Armenian Apostolic Church, which had built the church in the 1880s.{{Cite news|last=Demourian|first=Avet|date=2020-10-08|title=Armenia says cathedral shelled in clashes with Azerbaijan|url=https://apnews.com/article/archive-armenia-azerbaijan-30345ca9a343404eb0f6833aedec60f3|access-date=2020-11-10|website=Associated Press}}

As reported by HRW: "On September 27, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive that escalated hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the de-facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh{{Cite web|date=2020-12-10|title=World Report 2021: Rights Trends in Azerbaijan|url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/azerbaijan|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Human Rights Watch|language=en}}". It began air and ground attacks across a number of Nagorno-Karabakh cities and settlements, including the City on Shushi: "Several attacks on Shushi were reported in the first days of fighting. By early October, many of its residents had fled, though some civilians remained, including men, women, and children".{{Cite web|date=2020-12-16|title=Azerbaijan: Attack on Church Possible War Crime|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/12/16/azerbaijan-attack-church-possible-war-crime|access-date=2021-04-17|website=Human Rights Watch|language=en}}

HRW and Amnesty International confirmed reports by the Armenian side {{Cite web|title=Azerbaijan fired cluster munitions on Shushi, Karabakh Ombudsman says|url=https://www.newsinfo.am/article/view/VkdASws_K|access-date=2021-07-24|website=www.newsinfo.am}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} on the use of cluster munitions in populated areas of Shushi and other settlements of Kharabakh, resulting in civilian casualties.{{Cite web|title=Armenia/Azerbaijan: Civilians must be protected from use of banned cluster bombs|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/10/armenia-azerbaijan-civilians-must-be-protected-from-use-of-banned-cluster-bombs/|access-date=2021-07-24|website=www.amnesty.org|date=5 October 2020 |language=en}} Intense shelling of civilian areas of the city was also reported by international media outlets:{{Cite web|last=Узел|first=Кавказский|title=Shushi resident killed in a shelling attack|url=https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/52601/|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Caucasian Knot}}{{Cite web|title=Nagorno-Karabakh: Key cities targeted in Armenian, Azeri shelling|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/5/azerbaijan-armenia-accuse-each-other-of-hitting-strategic-cities|access-date=2021-07-24|website=www.aljazeera.com|language=en}} "At daytime, when we had half an hour without an air-raid siren, for a change, we could see the damage. The missiles of the Azerbaijani army kept hitting apartment buildings and clearly civilian targets" reported the German Bild correspondent.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-10|title=We have watched this war happen|url=https://www.bild.de/politik/international/bild-international/paul-ronzheimer-about-karabakh-we-have-watched-this-war-happen-73872944.bild.html|access-date=2021-07-24|website=bild.de|last1=Ronzheimer|first1=Paul|author1-link=Paul Ronzheimer|language=de}}

The Cultural House of Shushi was severely damaged by an Azerbaijani missile attack, according to media reports at the time of the attack, civilians were sheltered in the basement of the building.{{Cite web|title=Azerbaijan Targets Armenian Church And Cultural House In Artsakh (VIDEO) — Greek City Times|date=9 October 2020 |url=https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/10/09/azerbaijan-targets-armenian-church-and-cultural-house-in-artsakh/|access-date=2021-07-24|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2020-10-06|title=Разрушен дом культуры: последствия обстрела города Шуши в Карабахе|url=https://ren.tv/news/v-mire/757517-razrushen-dom-kultury-posledstviia-obstrela-goroda-shushi-v-karabakhe|access-date=2021-07-24|website=РЕН ТВ|language=ru}}{{Cite web|last=Черников|first=Валентин|title=Видео: в Нагорном Карабахе разбомбили дом культуры|url=https://www.5-tv.ru/news/314794/video-vnagornom-karabahe-razbombili-dom-kultury/|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Пятый канал|date=7 October 2020 |language=ru}}

The first shell fell on the dome of the church at 12:30 on 8 October, severely damaging the interior. Local media reported that adults and children were sheltering inside the church when the first explosion occurred, but no-one was injured. At 17:00 same day, as journalists were inspecting the damage, a second shell struck the building.{{Cite web|last=AFP|first=GEO avec|date=2020-10-08|title=Haut-Karabakh : une cathédrale historique arménienne touchée par des bombardements|url=https://www.geo.fr/histoire/haut-karabakh-une-cathedrale-historique-armenienne-touchee-par-des-bombardements-202403|access-date=2022-01-22|website=Geo.fr|language=fr}} Two Russian journalists were wounded by the second strike;{{Cite web|date=2020-10-08|title=Российские журналисты пострадали при обстреле церкви в Карабахе|url=https://ria.ru/20201008/obstrel-1578868832.html|access-date=2021-04-14|website=РИА Новости|language=ru}}{{Cite web|last=Светлана|first=Кравчук|date=2020-10-08|title=Удар по храму: в Карабахе пострадали журналисты из России|url=https://www.gazeta.ru/army/2020/10/08/13312603.shtml|access-date=2021-04-14|website=Газета.Ru|language=ru}}{{Cite web|title=Пострадавших в Карабахе российских журналистов вывезут спецбортом|url=https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5f8078ca9a794735ece154ac|access-date=2021-04-14|website=РБК|date=9 October 2020 |language=ru}} one, the editor-in-chief of Segodnya, was critically injured and underwent surgery in Stepanakert.{{cite news |title=Church bombed to ruins - Journalists were injured during second attack – one of them is fighting for his life |url=https://www.bild.de/politik/international/bild-international/bild-reporter-at-armenian-frontline-church-bombed-to-ruins-73330690.bild.html |work=azatutyun.am |agency=BILD.de |date=8 October 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201008182546/https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30883037.html |archive-date=8 October 2020}}{{Cite news|title=Russian blogger Yuri Kotenok heavily injured in Shushi, says Armenian Foreign Ministry|url=https://tass.com/world/1210247|access-date=2020-11-10|website=TASS}}{{Cite news|title=Cellist plays to mourn cathedral shelled in Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict|url=https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/videos/cellist-mourns-armenian-cathedral-bombed-azerbaijan-conflict/|access-date=2020-11-10|website=Classic FM|language=en}} An Armenian who accompanied the reporters was lightly injured.{{Cite news|date=2020-10-08|title=Another Journalist Wounded In Karabakh|url=https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30883037.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201008182546/https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30883037.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-10-08|access-date=2020-11-10|website=archive.vn}}

{{external media|float=right|video1={{YouTube|mlqlTQWD3R4|Cathedral In Nagorno-Karabakh Shelled - Radio Liberty}}}}

In its subsequent report HRW specified that "Multiple factors indicate that both attacks were directed at the church. The remnants found indicate that the weapons used were capable of being directed at a specific target". Furthermore, both strikes hit the same part of the roof with a difference of less than two meters.

Armenia's Foreign Ministry issued an official statement describing it as "another crime of the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan... this action fully fits into its policy of Armenophobia developed for decades. Azerbaijan, which has completely annihilated the Armenian cultural heritage in Nakhichevan and in other parts of the historical homeland of the Armenian people, now throughout the ongoing military aggression against Artsakh is trying to deprive Armenians of Artsakh of their homeland and historical memory".{{Cite web|url=https://www.mfa.am/en/interviews-articles-and-comments/2020/10/08/mfa_Shushi/10507|title=The statement of the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Armenia regarding the targeting of the places of religious worship and cultural monuments in Shushi|date=8 October 2020|access-date=19 October 2020}} They also stated that "With these actions Azerbaijan replicates the behavior of its newly acquired allies, infamous international terrorist organizations that are responsible for the destruction of numerous historical-cultural monuments in the Middle East". Artsrun Hovhannisyan, spokesman of the defence ministry of Armenia, blamed the shelling on "enemy Azerbaijan".

According to Armenpress, Pargev Martirosyan, the bishop of the Diocese of Artsakh of which the cathedral is the episcopal see, compared the shelling with the actions of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, saying "They are bombarding our spiritual values, when we are restoring and preserving mosques".{{Cite news|title=They bomb our churches, we preserve mosques – Archbishop on Azeri "ISIS-style" attack in Artsakh|url=https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1030853|access-date=2020-11-10|website=armenpress.am|language=en}} Another priest at the cathedral said "I feel the pain that the walls of our beautiful cathedral are destroyed. I feel the pain that today the world does not react to what's happening here and that our boys are dying defending our Motherland".

After the shelling, the Belgian- Armenian cellist Sevak Avanesyan playing the damaged building. He played the piece "Stork" ({{Langx|hy|Krunk}}) by the Armenian composer Komitas, who was a victim of the Armenian genocide.{{Cite news|last=Mirovalev|first=Mansur|date=2020-10-15|title=Armenia, Azerbaijan battle an online war over Nagorno-Karabakh|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/10/15/karabakh-info-war|access-date=2020-11-10|website=Al Jazeera|language=en}} The video was posted on October 12 on Armenia's official Twitter account, which according to Al-Jazeera, was a message that the cathedral's shelling by Azerbaijan was part and parcel of a centuries-old enmity of Turks towards Armenians.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry officially denied involvement,{{cite tweet |user=wwwmodgovaz |number=1314197273736171521 |date=8 October 2020 |title=#Azerbaijan Army does not target the historical/cultural/ religious buildings and #monuments. This is No. Armenia, which hit Imamzade #religious complex on 4th OCT 2020. The claim about Azerbaijan Army's strike on the church in Shusha is unfounded. }} while the Azerbaijan state news agency claimed Armenia was behind the attack.{{cite news |title=Şuşadakı kilsəyə guya raket zərbəsinin endirilməsi ilə bağlı feyk xəbərlərin yayılması Ermənistanın növbəti təxribatıdır |url=https://azertag.az/xeber/Susadaki_kilseye_guya_raket_zerbesinin_endirilmesi_ile_bagli_feyk_xeberlerin_yayilmasi_Ermenistanin_novbeti_texribatidir-1608063|work=azertag.az |agency=Azerbaijan State News Agency |date=8 October 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201009111336/https://azertag.az/xeber/1608063 |archive-date=9 October 2020}}

In an interview with BBC News journalist Orla Guerin, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, denied the church was a military target for his forces and said that the shelling was "either it was a mistake of our artillery or it was a deliberate provocation by Armenians themselves".{{Cite news|date=2020-11-09|title=Nagorno-Karabakh: President Ilham Aliyev speaks to the BBC|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-54865589|access-date=2020-11-10}}

On Russia 1 TV show Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, Azerbaijani journalist and political analyst, Saadat Kadyrova, justified the shelling of the church since the Armenian armed forces were praying in the building.{{Cite web|date=2020-10-09|title=Азербайджанка сравнила храм в Шуши с "сортиром" в эфире у Соловьева|url=https://discover24.ru/2020/10/azerbaydzhanka-sravnila-hram-v-shushi-s-sortirom-v-efire-u-soloveva/|access-date=2021-12-30|website=discover24.ru|language=ru-RU}}

A statement released by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), signed by Israel Charny, Yair Auron, Matthias Bjørnlund, Tessa Hofmann and others condemned intentional attacks of civilians and civilian infrastructures by Azerbaijani forces, describing the strikes on the church as "part of policy of the cultural genocide that the Azerbaijani government has been implementing over the past 30 years by systematically destroying the Armenian historical heritage.".{{cite news|date=22 October 2020|title=IAGS members see imminent genocidal threat deriving from Azerbaijan and Turkey against Artsakh|agency=Armenpress|url=https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1032432/|url-status=live|access-date=22 October 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201022191618/https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1032432/|archive-date=22 October 2020}}

World Monuments Fund condemned the targeting of the cathedral, stating that it "considers absolutely unacceptable any willful destruction of cultural heritage" {{Cite web|last=LLC|first=Helix Consulting|title=World Monuments Fund condemns targeting of Shusha's Ghazanchetsots Cathedral|url=https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2020/10/12/World-Monuments-Fund-Ghazanchetsots-Cathedral/2380110|access-date=2022-01-23|website=www.panorama.am|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=9 October 2020|title=World Monuments Fund - Facebook statement|url=https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fworldmonuments%2Fposts%2F10157733480650886|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-23|website=Facebook|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123105708/https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https://www.facebook.com/worldmonuments/posts/10157733480650886 |archive-date=2022-01-23 }}

Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia director Hugh Williamson called on Azerbaijan to investigate the attacks: "It has been over a month since Azerbaijan has retaken control of Shusha and the government needs to waste no time in investigating the attacks and holding those responsible to account. Attacks such as these serve no military purpose and all parties should ensure these kinds of attacks are punished and otherwise prevented."{{Cite web|title=Azerbaijan: Attack on Church Possible War Crime|url=https://www.hrw.org/node/377374/printable/print|access-date=2021-08-16|website=www.hrw.org}}{{Cite web|last9=|date=2020-10-31|title=International Association of Genocide Scholars Statement on Imminent Genocidal Threat Against Artsakh|url=https://massispost.com/2020/10/international-association-of-genocide-scholars-statement-on-imminent-genocidal-threat-against-artsakh/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-16|website=MassisPost|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101022641/https://massispost.com/2020/10/international-association-of-genocide-scholars-statement-on-imminent-genocidal-threat-against-artsakh/ |archive-date=2020-11-01 }}

Azerbaijani forces seized control of Shusha on 7 November, after a three-day long battle over the city.{{Cite news|date=2020-11-08|title=Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan 'takes key town' in Armenia conflict|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54862180|access-date=2020-11-10}}{{Cite news|date=2020-11-09|title=Nagorno-Karabakh confirms Azerbaijani forces have taken control of key city|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/nagorno-karabakh-conflict-war-azerbaijan-armenia-b1719771.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109163730/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/nagorno-karabakh-conflict-war-azerbaijan-armenia-b1719771.html |archive-date=2020-11-09 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=2020-11-10|website=The Independent|language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Losh|first=Jack|date=2020-11-10|title=Angry mob storms Armenia parliament after PM agrees Nagorno-Karabakh deal|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/10/nagorno-karabakh-armenia-pm-signs-deal-to-end-war-with-azerbaijan-and-russia|access-date=2020-11-10|issn=0261-3077}} On 10 November, a ceasefire agreement was reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan with Russia's mediation.{{Cite news|last=Demourian|first=Avet|date=2020-11-09|title=Armenia, Azerbaijan agree to end fight in Nagorno-Karabakh|url=https://apnews.com/article/ilham-aliyev-azerbaijan-armenia-d1912465a796c4e8263e7e3fe491f973|access-date=2020-11-10|website=Associated Press}}

After Azerbaijan's seizure the remaining Armenian population fled the city, while multiple reports started emerging that Armenian cultural heritage was being vandalised and destroyed across the territories under Azerbaijani control.{{cite web|author1=Lori Khatchadourian|author2=Ian Lindsay|author3=Adam T. Smith|date=June 2021|title=Caucasus Heritage Watch: Monitoring Report #1|url=https://indd.adobe.com/view/29f1209a-86e5-45a6-a53e-974eda2177b6|url-status=live|access-date=November 4, 2021|publisher=Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies: Cornell University|page=19|quote=In sum, there are real and present threats to the integrity of the heritage landscape of Nagorno Karabakh that result from a range of factors from development work undertaken without sufficient attention to heritage sites to intentional acts against Armenian monuments.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210707223114/https://indd.adobe.com/view/29f1209a-86e5-45a6-a53e-974eda2177b6 |archive-date=2021-07-07 }}{{Cite web|last=Maranci|first=Christina|title=Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh fear their medieval churches will be destroyed|url=http://theconversation.com/armenians-displaced-from-nagorno-karabakh-fear-their-medieval-churches-will-be-destroyed-149141|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122065235/https://theconversation.com/armenians-displaced-from-nagorno-karabakh-fear-their-medieval-churches-will-be-destroyed-149141|archive-date=22 January 2021|access-date=2021-01-24|website=The Conversation|date=15 December 2020 }}{{Cite web|last=Artsakh ombudsman|date=26 January 2021|title=AD HOC PUBLIC REPORT THE ARMENIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE IN ARTSAKH (NAGORNO-KARABAKH): CASES OF VANDALISM AND AT RISK OF DESTRUCTION BY AZERBAIJAN|url=https://artsakhombuds.am/hy/document/792|url-status=live|access-date=23 November 2021|website=artsakhombuds.am|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205155947/https://artsakhombuds.am/hy/document/792 |archive-date=2021-12-05 }}{{Cite web|date=11 January 2021|title=Destruction of Crosses and desecration of churches|url=https://azeriwarcrimes.org/2021/01/11/destruction-of-crosses-and-desecration-of-churches/|url-status=live|access-date=3 December 2021|website=azeriwarcrimes.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211110533/https://azeriwarcrimes.org/2021/01/11/destruction-of-crosses-and-desecration-of-churches/ |archive-date=2021-02-11 }}{{Cite news|title=Why did this church disappear?|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-56517835|access-date=2021-12-04}}{{Cite web|last=Transparency International Anticorruption Center|date=February 28, 2021|title=Report on Xenophobia in Azerbaijan|url=https://transparency.am/files/publications/1614606896-0-994587.pdf?v=4|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310002350/https://transparency.am/files/publications/1614606896-0-994587.pdf?v=4 |archive-date=2021-03-10 }} Among others, videos and photos of vandalized Ghazanchetsots Cathedral and partially destroyed Kanach Zham church{{Cite web|title=REPORT: Azerbaijanis Have Destroyed The Bell Tower & Dome Of Shushi's Armenian "Kanach Zham" Church, Built In 1818. – ZARTONK MEDIA|url=https://zartonkmedia.com/2020/11/19/report-azerbaijanis-have-destroyed-the-bell-tower-dome-of-shushis-armenian-kanach-zham-church-built-in-1818/|access-date=2021-12-02|website=zartonkmedia.com}}{{Cite web|date=2020-11-19|title=The Kanach Zham Church in Shushi has been partially destroyed|url=https://fip.am/en/13788|access-date=2021-12-02|website=FIP.AM|language=en-US}} were posted on social media. The Armenian Foreign Ministry and the Armenian Apostolic Church issued statements condemning these acts.{{Cite web|last=Узел|first=Кавказский|title=Армянская церковь заявила об осквернении собора в Шуши|url=https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/356487/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114205731/https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/356487/|archive-date=14 November 2020|access-date=2020-11-16|website=Кавказский Узел}}{{Cite web|title=Армянская церковь обвинила азербайджанцев в осквернении собора в Шуши|url=https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5fb0418a9a7947b0222acd5b|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116021443/https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5fb0418a9a7947b0222acd5b|archive-date=16 November 2020|access-date=2020-11-16|website=РБК|date=15 November 2020 |language=ru}}{{Cite web|title=Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia on the act of vandalism of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Church in Shushi|url=https://www.mfa.am/en/interviews-articles-and-comments/2020/11/15/shu/10652|access-date=2021-11-23|website=www.mfa.am|language=hy}}

A number of scholars and cultural Institutions, like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, issued pleas for the preservation of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, expressing concern and advocating for renewed protection of Armenian cultural heritage in the region.{{Cite web|last1=McGreevy|first1=Nora|date=24 November 2020|title=Why Scholars, Cultural Institutions Are Calling to Protect Armenian Heritage|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/metropolitan-museum-scholars-call-protection-cultural-heritage-nagorno-karabakh-180976364/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124162821/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/metropolitan-museum-scholars-call-protection-cultural-heritage-nagorno-karabakh-180976364/ |archive-date=2020-11-24 }}{{Cite web|date=17 November 2020|title=Statement from The Met on Armenian Cultural Heritage Sites|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/press/news/2020/statement-about-armenian-cultural-heritage|url-status=live|access-date=2021-11-23|website=www.metmuseum.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117184448/https://www.metmuseum.org/press/news/2020/statement-about-armenian-cultural-heritage |archive-date=2020-11-17 }}

On 20 November 2021, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay declared the necessity of protecting the monuments of Nagorno-Karabakh and the inadmissibility of attempts to distort their identity. She offered to send an independent mission of experts to Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts to draw a preliminary inventory of significant cultural properties.{{Cite web |last=O'Hagan |first=Clare |date=2020-11-20 |title=Nagorno-Karabakh: Reaffirming the obligation to protect cultural goods, UNESCO proposes sending a mission to the field to all parties |url=https://en.unesco.org/news/nagorno-karabakh-reaffirming-obligation-protect-cultural-goods-unesco-proposes-sending-mission |access-date=2021-12-02 |website=UNESCO |language=en}} The proposal was approved by the member states, reflecting the Declaration of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.{{Cite web|last=UNESCO|date=11 December 2020|title=Declaration of the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of the Second Protocol to The Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict – ensuring cultural property protection in and around Nagorno-Karabakh and setting-up an independent technical mission|url=https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/en_15_com_declaration_haut-karabakh_final_1.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=3 December 2021|website=en.unesco.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215085400/https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/en_15_com_declaration_haut-karabakh_final_1.pdf |archive-date=2020-12-15 }} However Azerbaijan did not grant access to the territories, accusing UNESCO of being "bias" and using "double standards".{{Cite web|date=2021-01-14|title=Azerbaijan upset with UNESCO's biased statement after Karabakh war – Minister of Culture|url=https://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/society/3364683.html|access-date=2021-12-04|website=Trend.Az|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2021-01-05|title=Aliyev threatens UNESCO 'with revision of relations', claims org works for 'Armenian lobby' - JAMnews|url=https://jam-news.net/ilham-aliyev-unesco-anar-kerimov-reconsideration-of-relations-minister-of-culture-azerbaijan-news/|access-date=2021-12-04|website=English Jamnews|language=en-US}}

On 3 May 2021, Armenian sources began reporting that the dome and the cross of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral had been removed. After an outcry from the Armenia side,  Azerbaijani authorities issued a statement saying the cathedral was under reconstruction to "restore" its "original" form, without specifying what they intended by the "original" style.{{Cite web|title=Azerbaijan begins controversial renovation of Armenian church {{!}} Eurasianet|url=https://eurasianet.org/azerbaijan-begins-controversial-renovation-of-armenian-church|access-date=2021-12-05|website=eurasianet.org|language=en}} The Armenian Foreign Ministry called these actions of Azerbaijan "deplorable" and an act of "vandalism aimed at depriving the Shushi Cathedral of its Armenian identity."{{Cite web|last=Kucera|first=Joshua|date=7 May 2021|title=Azerbaijan begins controversial renovation of Armenian church|url=https://eurasianet.org/azerbaijan-begins-controversial-renovation-of-armenian-church|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005113608/https://eurasianet.org/azerbaijan-begins-controversial-renovation-of-armenian-church|archive-date=5 October 2021|access-date=6 October 2021|website=Eurasianet|language=en}}{{cite web|date=4 May 2021|title=Armenian Foreign Ministry Decries Azerbaijani Mutilation of Shushi Ghazanchetsots Cathedral|url=https://hetq.am/en/article/130435/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907192016/https://hetq.am/en/article/130435|archive-date=7 September 2021|access-date=7 September 2021|website=hetq.am|quote=The actions being carried out by Azerbaijan at the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of the Holy Savior in Shushi are deplorable, as there are already many precedents for the destruction of Armenian places of worship, monuments, as well as for justification of such actions. Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs}}{{Cite news|title=Armenia Condemns Azeri 'Destruction' Of Karabakh Church|url=https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31237444.html|access-date=2021-11-23|website=«Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան|date=4 May 2021 |language=hy |last1=ռ/կ |first1=Ազատություն }}

The USCIRF also expressed concern, stating that it was "troubled by reports concerning the preservation and integrity of houses of worship and other religious sites— such as the Armenian Apostolic Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shusha, which appears to have had its domes removed amid reports of its 'restoration' without the input of its congregation,".{{Cite web|date=2021-12-02|title=USCIRF Concerned by Azerbaijan Religion Law Amendments, Condition of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral {{!}} USCIRF|url=https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-concerned-azerbaijan-religion-law-amendments-condition|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-02|website=www.uscirf.gov|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517185248/https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-concerned-azerbaijan-religion-law-amendments-condition |archive-date=2021-05-17 }} USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza added that "While the cathedral is certainly in need of repair following the damage it endured as a result of Azerbaijani shelling last fall, it is imperative that it and other sites are properly restored and maintained."{{Cite web|date=2021-12-02|title=USCIRF Releases Country Update on Azerbaijan {{!}} USCIRF|url=https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-releases-country-update-azerbaijan|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-02|website=www.uscirf.gov|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318202350/https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-releases-country-update-azerbaijan |archive-date=2021-03-18 }} In its 2020 Annual Report USCIRF also recommended that the U.S. Department of State place Azerbaijan on its Special Watch List for its ongoing and systematic religious freedom violations.{{Cite web|last=USCIRF|first=ANNUAL REPORT 2020|title=AZERBAIJAN – RECOMMENDED FOR SPECIAL WATCH LIST|url=https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Azerbaijan.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2 December 2021|website=www.uscirf.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510222314/https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Azerbaijan.pdf |archive-date=2020-05-10 }} In its 2021 Annual Report USCIRF reiterated that "Over the course of the fighting and in the immediate aftermath of the November ceasefire, numerous local and international observers raised concerns about safeguarding religious and other cultural sites, specifically underscoring the need to protect the various Armenian churches, monasteries, and cemeteries lost or subsequently ceded to Azerbaijani control."{{Cite web|last=USCIRF|date=2021|title=UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM - ANNUAL REPORT 2021|url=https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Annual%20Report.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=23 November 2021|website=www.uscirf.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421140116/https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Annual%20Report.pdf |archive-date=2021-04-21 }}

In a court hearing at the ECHR on October 15, 2020, the Armenian side presented, among other things, evidence of the shelling of the cathedral and Azerbaijan's subsequent treatment of it.{{Cite web|language=en|url=https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/180/180-20211015-ORA-02-BI.pdf|title=VERBATIM RECORD - in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan)|website=www.icj-cij.org|date=15 October 2020|publisher=Европейский суд по правам человека}} On December 7, 2020, the court upheld the interim measures requested by Armenia to ensure that Azerbaijan prevented "vandalism and desecration" of the Armenian cultural heritage located in the territories controlled by Baku.{{Cite web|language=fr|url=https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/180/180-20211207-ORD-01-00-EN.pdf|title=APPLICATION DE LA CONVENTION INTERNATIONALE SUR L'ÉLIMINATION DE TOUTES LES FORMES DE DISCRIMINATION RACIALE (ARMÉNIE c. AZERBAÏDJAN)|author=ECHR|website=www.icj-cij.org|date=7 December 2020}}{{Cite web|language=ru|url=https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7/20211207-%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B4-%D0%BE%D0%BE%D0%BD-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BB-%D0%BE%D1%82-%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%B4%D0%B6%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%B8-%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%8C-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%86-%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8E-%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8|title=Суд ООН потребовал от Азербайджана и Армении положить конец разжиганию расовой ненависти|website=RFI|date=2021-12-07|access-date=2021-12-30}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Cultural Desecration Is Racial Discrimination|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/01/13/armenia-azerbaijan-nagorno-karabakh-cultural-desecration-is-racial-discrimination/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-13|website=Foreign Policy|date=13 January 2022|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113201403/https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/01/13/armenia-azerbaijan-nagorno-karabakh-cultural-desecration-is-racial-discrimination/ |archive-date=2022-01-13 }}

In March 2022 the European Parliament adopted a joint resolution condemning the destruction of Armenian Heritage in Nagorno- Kharabakh, including the destruction caused during and after the shelling of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral.{{Cite web |title=JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/RC-9-2022-0146_EN.html |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=www.europarl.europa.eu |language=en}}

Currently the cathedral is completely covered by scaffolding and mesh.{{Cite web|title=Ադրբեջանցիները ծածկել են Շուշիի Սուրբ Ղազանչեցոց եկեղեցին|url=https://www.7or.am/am/news/view/215981/|access-date=2021-12-05|website=www.7or.am}} No independent international experts have been able to inspect the site as Azerbaijan continues to deny access to the UNESCO mission.{{Cite web |last=Amelan |first=Roni |date=2020-12-21 |title=UNESCO is awaiting Azerbaijan's Response regarding Nagorno-Karabakh mission |url=https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-awaiting-azerbaijans-response-regarding-nagorno-karabakh-mission |access-date=2021-12-02 |website=UNESCO |language=en}}

Armenian wedding in damaged Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Artsakh, Shushi.png|Armenian wedding in damaged Holy Savior Cathedral on 24 October 2020

Damaged Gazanchi Cathedral in Shusha 3.png|The roof of the damaged Ghazanchetsots Cathedral

Damaged Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi 4.png|Damaged part of the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral

Damaged Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi 5.png|Damaged Ghazanchetsots

-Ղազանչեցոց եկեղեցի.jpg|The Ghazanchetsots Cathedral before the shelling

• 2020 bombardment of Martuni
• 2020 Bombardment of Stepanakert
• Ghazanchetsots Cathedral

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Category:Armenian Apostolic Church in the Republic of Artsakh

Category:War crimes in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

Category:2020 in Christianity

Category:Attacks on churches in Asia

Category:War crimes in Azerbaijan

Category:Azerbaijani war crimes

Category:Military history of Shusha

Category:2020 building bombings

Category:Church bombings

Category:Bombardments of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War