The statue of Alek Manukyan has become another victim of Azerbaijan's cultural genocide. Hovik Avanesov

Azerbaijan continues to destroy monuments in occupied Artsakh. This policy is implemented at the state level, the goal of which is to completely destroy the Armenian trace in occupied Artsakh. The ombudsman of Hayk culture, Hovik Avanesov, wrote about this on his Facebook page, warning about another case of cultural genocide by Azerbaijan in the Republic of Artsakh.

He noted that on December 24, 2023, one of the Azerbaijani YouTube channels published a video from Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh. From the preliminary study and analysis of the video, it became obvious that the statue of philanthropist, national figure Alek Manukyan became another victim of Azerbaijan's cultural genocide.

"Article 8 of the International Criminal Court considers the destruction of cultural heritage in the occupied territories an international war crime. "It is forbidden to deliberately direct attacks on structures dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historical monuments, hospitals, unless they are military targets." "According to Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflicts, any act of vandalism, theft, robbery, misappropriation, enmity and reprisal against cultural heritage is prohibited," Avanesov reminded.