STEPANAKERT, APRIL 16, ARTSAKHPRESS: Pupils of the capital's schools, university students, representatives of various structures took part in the event holding posters that condemn the desecration and destruction of Armenian historical monuments left in the territories occupied by Azerbaijan.

The Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Artsakh, Lusine Gharakhanyan also attended the event.

Spiritual pastor of Cathedral, Father Nerses Asryan began the event with a prayer, followed by a speech.

He noted that the people of Artsakh once again raise their voices in protest against barbarism and injustice, and the ongoing crimes against humanity.

"We know, unfortunately, that what happened now is not new in our history. The state called Azerbaijan, from the first days of its formation, showed aggressive aspirations towards the Armenian territories, keeping Artsakh in the spotlight.

The two main obstacles for appropriating and privatizing this country, of course, are the Armenian people living here for centuries and the centuries-old cultural monuments of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

"During the recent hostilities and till now, in front of the whole world, Azerbaijan continues destroying the temples, monasteries, cross-stones (khachkars) and many sanctuaries of the Armenian people," said Father Nerses Asryan, in particular.

Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, Gegham Stepanyan said that actions against cultural heritage are crimes against humanity and should be condemned by the civilized world.

"The same happened during the war in 2020 unleashed by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the people of Artsakh.

During the recent war, Azerbaijan targeted the most important cultural values of the Armenian people in the territory of Artsakh, such as St. Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, St. Hovhannes Mkrtich Church, the settlement of Tigranakert and many other ancient sites.

This was done deliberately and publicly in order to cause more suffering to the Armenian people. The fact that the international community is aware that Azerbaijan has committed war crimes is unequivocal. This is evidenced by the reports published by international human rights organizations, as well as the statements made by the individual politicians. However, I regret to say that the whole process of holding Azerbaijan accountable is buried under a political veil,'' the Ombudsman said, in particular.