One year ago, Turkey’s surrogate, Azerbaijan, attacked the Christian Armenian enclave within Azebaijan called Nagorno-Karabakh, or Artsakh. Azerbaijan had blockaded all food, medicine and fuel into the community for several months before the assault, starving the tiny military as well as civilians. After forcing out all but a handful of residents and kidnapping a few others, Azerbaijan appears to continue its regimen seen in neighboring Nakhchivan: destroying churches, cemeteries, and schools.

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Azerbaijan, a heavily Muslim nation, has recently been reproached even by liberal Congressman Adam Schiff and by the European Parliament for its “hatred” of the Christian Armenians within its borders and its “erasure” of their culture. Armenia is the oldest officially Christian nation in the world, having declared its national faith in 301 A.D. The artifacts and architecture being bulldozed or “distorted” into mosques are unique, irreplaceable, and priceless. According to Joel Veldkamp, Director of Public Advocacy for Christian Solidarity International (CSI), “The ethnic cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh is another stage in the Armenian genocide…which has never really stopped” since the late 1800’s.

Veldcamp also states that at least 23 hostages from captured areas are being held by Azerbaijan. The elected parliament of Nagorno Karabakh continues to function, and has appointed a committee to campaign for their right to return to their homeland. CSI hosted the committee at a side event at the UN in July.

When the attack began a year ago, around 120,000 people left their Artsakh gardens, dairies, vineyards, and beehives and fled to Armenia, which shares their language, lineage, and faith. We have received from a Christian in Armenia translated interviews with some of the refugees, excerpted below. Because of hostage concerns and ongoing threats from the country they left, they are given anonymity here:

It could be said that the war was not a surprise. Azerbaijan’s policy was aimed at this. They mercilessly shelled the settlements. The situation was difficult, especially for children. Many were at school, on the roads. Sheltering in cold cellars for days, the children had hard feelings. The same applies to the elderly. Even after the deportation, the stressful conditions of the children continued. The ethnic cleansing carried out by Azerbaijan, depriving us of our homes, the right to property, and the possibility of peaceful coexistence in our country, is still a bitter root in our souls. Our prayers are that justice prevails and we can return to our homes.

The island of Christianity, which required thousands of young lives, many deprivations and hardships to protect, …were not enough, because the world governed by double standards, the superpowers, out of their own interests, supported Turkey and Azerbaijan, leaving the few people fighting for their independence defenseless. 

The former residents of Artsakh are trying to adapt to the new reality; the housing problem was acute. Imagine 120,000 people leaving the country at once and seeking refuge in Armenia. It was extremely difficult for people who survived famine and war, who lost their relatives, to find a place to live, to solve household and documentary issues. House rents were rising due to demand, the compensation provided by the state was barely enough to pay for the rented apartment at best. There are also conscientious people who, extending a helping hand from the very first moments, continue to help to the best of their ability. Our eyes, accustomed to empty shop windows for months, were confused when entering the store for the first time. Many people, like me, were unable to buy anything the first time they saw a store full of food. 

Despite all this, the people of Artsakh continue to live and create, overcome difficulties and do not lose hope of returning home. That hope seems to unite us all. It is not possible to rationalize the fact that a nation with a centuries-old history is simply uprooted from its land. 

The Azerbaijanis turn into ruins the important places for the people of Artsakh– churches, houses, monuments….Everyone is trying to find his place in a new environment whether through study or work.

Today, Azerbaijan destroys Artsakh, our holy places, the graves of our sons, our churches, trying to erase the trace, the breath, the presence of the Armenians, and it uses its flags as a sign of its iniquities– “But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth.” Psalm 74.

Pray for our brothers and sisters who are refugees in Armenia. Pray for Turkey and Azerbaijan, that they will abandon their intent to exterminate Armenians. Pray that the international community will defend the cultural landmarks of Christian Armenia and the rights of Artsakh residents to return and live in peace.

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Leah Farish is a lawyer and host of the Conversation Balloons podcast. Photo Credit: Григорян Самвел – из собственной коллекции фотографий, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11157026.