Baroness Cox

Caroline Cox, a member of the British House of Lords and a decades-long advocate of justice for Artsakh, in an open letter, voiced her “deep concern,” about the threat to Armenian churches in Artsakh from Azerbaijani forces.

In an open letter, Baroness Cox, as she is officially known, pointed to Azerbaijan’s intentionto remove symbols of Armenian Christian heritage. This includes, she wrote, “161 churches, including the historic monastery at Dadivank, Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, the ancient city of Tigranakert, Azokh Paleolithic Cave and the Nor Karmiravan tombs.”

Earlier this month Azerbaijan announced its intention to set up a government working group to “remove fictitious traces written by Armenians on Albanian religious temples”.

“The destruction of cultural and religious heritage is a war crime under international law,” Baroness Cox said.

In her letter, Baroness Cox reminder that in December 2021, the International Court of Justice said Azerbaijan should “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artifacts.”