US Commission on International Religious Freedom to հold hearings on Azerbaijan’s destruction of Armenian cultural heritage

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will hold virtual hearings next month on religious freedom in Azerbaijan.

As stated in the announcement, conditions for religious freedom in Azerbaijan remain concerning. The country’s religion law imposes strict registration requirements for religious communities to legally carry out religious activities. In recent years, following the deterioration of relations with Iran, the Azerbaijani government has arrested and imprisoned a record number of Shia Muslims, likely on religious grounds. Many of the incarcerated individuals have accused law enforcement of physical violence and other forms of mistreatment. Religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh continue to be under threat, as Azerbaijani authorities are destroying Armenian cultural heritage.

In February, USCIRF visited Azerbaijan to assess the state of religious freedom and meet with religious communities and human rights defenders. In its 2025 annual report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department include Azerbaijan on the special watch list for serious violations of religious freedom.