Primate'S Letter To Rev. Billy Graham'S Son Rev. Franklin Graham

Dear Brother in Christ,
 
It is with great distress that we write this letter to alarm you about the ongoing onslaught on civilians and civilian infrastructures in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic).
 
Hours ago, when the Azeris shelled a hospital in the northeast region, where civilians were receiving medical treatment, the world remained silent.
 
When the Azeris shelled the Holy Savior Church on October 8, with children, women, and reporters seeking shelter inside, the world remained silent.
 
When the Azeris skinned a soldier who was still alive and dismembered his body, the world remained silent.  When they brutally murdered a woman and her disabled son, a few days ago, the world remained silent.
 
THE SILENCE OF THE WORLD COMMUNITY IS DEAFENING! The world’s first Christian nation is under attack. The Armenians of Artsakh are pursuing a just cause, defending its ancestral lands of thousands of years and fighting to live freely.
 
We call upon our Christian brothers to break their silence and exhorting world leaders to put an end to the ongoing massacres and atrocities, which constitute the continuation of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
 
We are “DAVID” in the battle against “GOLIATH.” However, “Goliath” is being supported by not only NATO’s second largest army and jihadi terrorist groups from all over the world but its weapons are supplied by the Israeli government, whose flag bears the star of David.
 
The massacre of innocent people on a daily basis leave no room for double standards, hypocrisy, political correctness, or weightless statements by politicians.
Azerbaijan, with the full-fledged support of the Turkish government, is committing war crimes, targeting innocent civilians and the international press. Since September 27, Armenia has been fighting international terrorism backed by the genocidal government of Turkey.
 
According to Russian and French intelligence as well as numerous reports by the international press including interviews and video footage, NATO member Turkey is smuggling jihadist terrorists from Libya and Syria into Azerbaijan to fight against the first Christian nation in the world.
 
There is substantial evidence and proof of the use of cluster munitions and other weapons of mass destruction by Azerbaijan against the peaceful civilians of Artsakh.
 
We draw your kind attention to the statement issued by Amnesty International on October 5, 2020.
 
“Over the weekend, footage consistent with the use of cluster munitions in the city of Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, was published by the region’s de facto authorities. They also reported an unidentified number of civilian casualties after further shelling in Stepanakert and the town of Shushi. Amnesty International’s Crisis Response experts were able to trace the location of the footage to residential areas of Stepanakert, and identified Israeli-made M095 DPICM cluster munitions that appear to have been fired by Azerbaijani forces.”
(https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/10/armenia-azerbaijan-civilians-must-be-protected-from-use-of-banned-cluster-bombs/)
 
The use of the cluster munitions by Azerbaijan is a direct violation of The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), the international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions ("bomblets") over an area. The convention was adopted on 30 May 2008 in Dublin.
 
Our hope is in Christ, our Lord as He has been for over 17 centuries. Our people know that “Lord is [our] Strength,” (Ps. 118:14) and that He “will Never leave [us] or forsake [us]” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
 
In his Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul the Apostle writes “For in one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). He continues “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26).
 
Dear Brother in Christ,
By voicing these crimes against humanity, you have the power to be heard around the world. I also ask that you keep me and my people in your prayers. 
 
We would greatly appreciate it if you contact us upon receipt of this letter.
 
In closing, I quote the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
 
Prayerfully,

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian
Primate