BERLIN/FRANKFURT — After massive intimidation efforts by Azerbaijani organizations and the ambassador in Berlin, the hybrid book presentation of The Cultural Heritage of Artsakh will only take place digitally, instead of in person, it was announced on March 6 in a statement issued by the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR).
In an open letter on March 3, 20 Azerbaijani organizations called on organizers to cancel the book presentation. The letter was even published by the Azerbaijani state-run news agency azertac.
The event, which was organized by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, is a thorn in Baku’s side. The ISHR condemns the political influence on freedom of assembly and expression in Germany, which is accompanied by intimidation and threats.
The event, titled “Protection of the endangered cultural property of Nagorno-Karabakh” with the presentation of the book Cultural Heritage in Artsakh and a symposium became the victim of a digital smear campaign. The intimidation included the mass sending of e-mails with the same content by pro-state NGOs from Azerbaijan masquerading as civil society. In addition, there were numerous complaints by telephone, and the Azerbaijani ambassador had also wanted to prohibit the mention of the term “Nagorno-Karabakh cultural asset.” The massive encroachments on freedom of assembly, academic freedom and freedom of expression in Germany show the brutality and determination of the Aliyev regime. “Opposition voices are not only persecuted and fought in their own country, but now scientific discourse abroad is also being aggressively attacked,” wrote the ISHR.
Turkey and Azerbaijan have been pursuing a destructive policy against Armenia for three decades. After the Nagorno-Karabakh region (Republic of Artsakh) was ethnically cleansed in September 2023 after months of blockade, siege and a military offensive, they seem poised to launch another military attack to seize land in southern Armenia. Last but not least, representatives of the Aliyev regime accuse the Armenians of criminal appropriation of their own millennia-old cultural heritage and deny their right to exist in the state of Armenia, which they call “Western Azerbaijan.”
In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s angry statements have been extremely worrisome, and the ISHR therefore warns of the existential danger for Armenia. While Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is of public interest, the massive danger to Armenia remains a side note, the Frankfurt-based human rights organization complains.
