Human Rights Watch: Azerbaijani attack on Christian Armenian cathedral in Shsushi possible war crime

Azerbaijani forces attacked a church in the city of Shushi on October 8, 2020 during the Nagorno-Karabakh hostilities, in what appears to be a deliberate targeting in violation of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

Two separate attacks, hours apart, on the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral on October 8 in the town of Shushi suggest that the church, a civilian object with cultural significance, was an intentional target despite the absence of evidence that it was used for military purposes. Weapon remnants Human Rights Watch collected at the site corroborate the use of guided munitions. President Ilham Aliyev said that the church could have been targeted only by mistake and was “not among military targets.” The attacks took place while Armenian forces still controlled the city. Azerbaijani forces regained control of the city on November 8, having lost it in hostilities in 1992.

“The two strikes on the church, the second one while journalists and other civilians had gathered at the site, appear to be deliberate,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “These attacks should be impartially investigated and those responsible held to account.”

On September 27, Azerbaijan began air and ground attacks across Nagorno-Karabakh, an escalation in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the local authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh. Fighting continued until November 10, when Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia concluded an agreement to end the hostilities.

Shushi is approximately 10 kilometers from Nagorno-Karabakh’s largest city, Stepanakert. 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.

The Cathedral, constructed in the 19th century and an important building for the Armenian church, was attacked twice in the afternoon on October 8. No one was injured or killed in the first strike as the civilians in the church at the time were sheltering in its basement, but three journalists for Russian outlets were injured in the second strike. Reports of the first attack were posted on social media channels beginning around 12:30 p.m.

Human Rights Watch spoke to four civilians who were at the church or in its immediate vicinity during one or both attacks, including two injured in the second attack.

Human Rights Watch visited the church on October 13 and spoke to two witnesses. Nune Shahramanyan, 46, who lives across the street, said that she and her children and some neighbors had been sheltering in the church basement since September 27.

“I had just gone to buy bread for my family … [who] were in the [church] basement,” she said. “And when I heard that sound [of the explosion] I saw … the debris and [heard] sirens starting. And I saw [three] planes. Then I ran back….I saw that my children were safe and I was relieved…. There was so much debris and stones falling.”

She said that seven or eight people were in the church basement at the time of the attack, all civilians. She said she did not see anyone else outside the church at that time.

Vova Zakaryan, 71, said he had just entered the basement just before it was struck: “I just hugged the… children and told them that they don't need to panic.” Zakaryan said that people had been coming to pray and light candles in the church since September 27, but that only he, the children, and some neighbors were in the basement during the first attack. Zakaryan said no one had been guarding the church since the beginning of the hostilities.

Shortly after the first attack, journalists began arriving at the church grounds. Numerous photos and videos of the damaged exterior and interior were posted online.  

The damage included a hole approximately one-meter wide in the church ceiling, just south of the main dome. Debris from the blast could also be observed on the church grounds. In photos circulated at that time on social media, remnants from a weapon can be seen, consistent with a munition capable of being accurately directed at a specific target, including components that support the movement of other pieces, such as fins or wings, consistent with a device that has a terminal guidance system.

Yuri Kotenok, a journalist who arrived in the afternoon, said he didn’t see any military equipment or personnel.

Around 5 p.m., the church was attacked again. Kotenok, Levon, Arzanov, and Vahram – who asked that his real name not be used –, all journalists, were inside during the strike.

Vahram said that no one else was in the church at the time and that they were headed toward the exit when the strike hit:

“At that moment there was a blast, a powerful one, we all were scattered... [T]here was total darkness… then the dust started to settle. I was near Yuri. We tried to take him from underneath the rubble; I could not. I got out to the street…[M]y hand was torn, and I had injuries on my back and on my head.”

Human Rights Watch also spoke to four civilians who were at the church or in its immediate vicinity during one or both attacks, including two injured in the second attack.