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On-Site Investigation Report on Human Rights in Karabakh

manitarian law. The difference between Shusha and Aghdam in terms of our
observations is that Shusha was not attacked much due to its location, but
the cultural properties were damaged due to neglect, and their walls were
destroyed by writing inscriptions on them, and all the artefacts/items inside
the palace of Khurshidbanu Natavan, which has been converted into a muse-
um, were emptied. It was observed that the Ashaghi Govhar Mosque, which
was visited, was damaged to such an extent that it would not allow worship.
On the other hand, within the framework of our study, it was found that the
bust of the musician from Shusha, folk artist, tenor Murtuza Mammadov, also
known as Bulbul, who is of cultural importance for Shusha, was destroyed
in the garden of his house, which was converted into a museum. It was also
seen that there is a bust of Uzeyir Hajibeyov, the composer of the Azerbaijani
national anthem, in the governor’s garden, but the bust was the target of
many bullets. It is noteworthy that the busts of two people, which are cul-
turally important to the Azerbaijani people, were attacked and destroyed.
Targeting the head of a person’s statue with bullets and other weapons is
perceived as a sign of hatred. Therefore, as a result of our observations in
Shusha, it was found that no measures were taken by Armenia to protect
cultural property, but on the contrary, some of the cultural property was de-
liberately damaged. It was determined that Khurshidbanu Natavan’s palace,
which has been converted into a museum, was looted and that the works in it
were destroyed, which is a clear violation of international humanitarian law.

IV. Destruction of Nature

As mentioned before, Karabakh has rich vegetation and water resources. In
fact, with its natural beauty, it has taken place in literary works with the anal-
ogy of “heaven”, and it has hosted many festivals.

During the field visit, green fields and various fruit trees were seen in the
unoccupied areas during the transportation provided by vehicles, but it was
observed that the vegetation changed sharply and that the soil became bar-
ren when entering the occupied region. No trees other than pomegranate
trees were encountered in Aghdam.
Also, in the report on the on-site examination visit carried out by the OSCE
to the occupied region in 2005, it was stated that in the city of Kalbajar, the
delegation saw trucks transporting large logs removed from the forests in the
region and that in another case, the delegation noticed a second different
truck carrying wood from younger trees. 17

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