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Nazrin Abdul

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The Ombudsman of Azerbaijan has issued a statement on the occasion of August 30, the International Day of the Disappeared, to honour the memory of thousands of missing persons worldwide, including those lost during wars, military operations, or detained in secret locations, Azernews reports, citing the Ombudsman.

According to the statement adopted by the UN General Assembly, this day commemorates victims of forced disappearances, many of whom remain unaccounted for globally due to ongoing conflicts.

As a country long affected by occupation, Azerbaijan has also faced the tragedy of missing persons. Over the past 30 years, Armenia’s military aggression has resulted in thousands of Azerbaijani citizens disappearing, with their fate still unknown.

Official data shows that nearly 4,000 people remain missing or detained, including 71 children, 284 women, and 316 elderly persons.

International humanitarian law obliges conflicting parties to exchange information about missing persons. The UN General Assembly’s 1974 resolution also urges parties to share such information.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly brought the issue to the attention of international organisations, demanding that Armenia provide information on missing citizens in line with the Geneva Conventions.

Since 2002, Azerbaijan has regularly submitted resolutions on missing persons at the UN General Assembly. Despite this, no substantial progress has been made in clarifying the fate of missing Azerbaijani citizens.

Following the Second Garabagh War and recent anti-terror operations in September 2023, Azerbaijani authorities have conducted systematic searches in liberated territories. Excavations, construction works, and witness testimonies have led to the discovery of mass graves. Identification efforts by relevant state bodies have shed light on the fate of some missing persons from the First Garabagh War.

Unfortunately, Armenia has failed to fulfil its obligations under international humanitarian law by not disclosing accurate locations of other mass graves, prolonging the suffering of families seeking news about their loved ones.

The Ombudsman expressed deep respect for the memory of those missing due to war and other causes and called on the international community and organisations to intensify efforts to clarify the fate of nearly 4,000 missing Azerbaijani citizens. She urged Armenia to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.