STOP Azerbaijan from erasing Armenian cultural heritage.
STOP Azerbaijan from erasing Armenian cultural heritage.
On December 23, 2021, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally requested that Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., change the “fake” Armenian names in Google maps to Azerbaijani names (https://www.mfa.gov.az/en/news/no52221). If Alphabet Inc. were to comply with Azerbaijan's request, the result will be substantial erasure of the Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh, which is a form of cultural genocide.
On December 7, 2021 the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in the case Armenia v. Azerbaijan, ordered Azerbaijan to “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artefacts.” https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/180/180-20211207-PRE-01-00-EN.pdf
Azerbaijan’s December 23, 2021 request to Alphabet Inc./Google may violate the ICJ’s December 7, 2021 order in that it seeks to change, deny and erase Armenian cultural heritage by removing indigenous Armenian names from the world’s digital map. If Alphabet Inc. complies with Azerbaijan’s request, it may be assisting Azerbaijan in contravening ICJ orders.
Tell Google to STOP Azerbaijan from erasing Armenian cultural heritage.