Sanitizing Genocide: How The Christian Post Betrayed Armenian Christians

The Christian Post’s recent travel piece, “Visiting Azerbaijan, a country at the crossroads of everything,” offers a dangerously sanitized portrayal of a regime with a documented history of systematic human rights abuses—particularly against the region’s indigenous Armenian Christian population.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a full-scale military assault on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), triggering the forced displacement of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians—virtually the entire native population. This mass exodus came on the heels of a nine-month blockade, which deprived residents of basic necessities including food, medicine, and fuel. International observers, including Freedom House, have rightly characterized these actions as ethnic cleansing—a deliberate campaign to depopulate the region of Armenians and to erase their cultural and historical presence.

Beyond the human toll, Azerbaijan has been widely accused of carrying out a cultural genocide—demolishing Armenian churches, monasteries, and cemeteries in areas now under its control. These acts constitute clear violations of international humanitarian law and reflect a broader intent to annihilate the physical legacy of Armenia’s presence in its ancestral homeland.

By ignoring these critical realities and choosing instead to spotlight Azerbaijan’s tourist appeal, The Christian Post not only whitewashes a humanitarian crisis but also lends uncritical legitimacy to an authoritarian regime actively engaged in the persecution of Christians. While the editors offer a token disclaimer that the piece does not address ongoing political issues, such a caveat is woefully insufficient in the face of one of the 21st century’s most egregious acts of religious and ethnic cleansing.

At a minimum, The Christian Post owes its readers—and the global Christian community—an honest reckoning. The platform should remove this piece of state-serving propaganda and commit to covering Azerbaijan with the integrity and moral clarity the situation demands.

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