As a result of the large-scale armed aggression carried out by Baku on September 19-20 this year, a number of Artsakh monuments appeared in the danger zone and are under direct threat of destruction.

Another manifestation of intolerant attitude towards heritage was recorded on September 27, when the Azerbaijani army opened fire directly in the direction of the Charektar Monastery from the Martakert-Karvachar highway. Video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =zbYhLbwgEzE)

Charektar Monastery was one of the most important spiritual centers in the Upper Tartar Valley. The main structures belong to the 12th-14th centuries, many khachkars and inscriptions have also been preserved.

In the occupied territory, respect for cultural values is obligatory, and reprisals and confiscation of heritage are prohibited.

Article 9 of the 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict prohibits acts of destruction of cultural property in areas under enemy control (http://portal.unesco .org/fr/ ev.php-URL_ID=15207&URL_DO =DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html).

It is extremely important to emphasize that the International Court of Justice has confirmed that the laws in force in the occupied territories, including the provisions relating to the protection of cultural values, have acquired the status of customary international law (infra Jurisprudence), c That is to say, they act as a universal and unavoidable rule and are binding on all States https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icjisrael-separation-wallsecurity-fence-occupied-palestinian-territory.