Soldier Missing According to Ministry of Defense Has Been Home for Over 20 Days: Helsinki Citizens' Assembly

In December 2020, the mother of a missing soldier contact the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly, reporting that her son, who participated in combat operations in Jabrail and then in Hadrut, last contacted her from Hadrut on October 15.

The HCA statement also notes, "The parent requested HCA's assistance in obtaining any information about her son. Despite the soldier having been found for over 20 days, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, in response to our inquiry, states and insists that search operations are ongoing, and the missing soldier has not been located. This could be a unique case, but it raises the question of whether the Ministry of Defense coordinates information on missing soldiers, fulfills its obligations to search for information on the fate and whereabouts of the missing for their relatives, and whether it does so based on a proper information database or not.

The mother of soldier D. S. informed the HCA that other soldiers had also used the same phone number, but by October 16, the number became unavailable due to a lack of battery charge. The parents received information that a group of soldiers, including D. S., had been hiding in the forests since October 16; however, responsible agencies have not taken any action to locate them. Entering that area on their own initiative has also been impossible because the enemy did not allow it. The soldiers last communicated through the provider of Artsakh Telecommunication, informing their parents that there were injured among them, and they needed assistance.

The parents appealed to the commission for captured and missing soldiers during combat operations, but instead of taking action, they were advised by the commission to contact the NSS to clarify where the call originated from.

The HCA has sent this information in writing to the Ministry of Defense of Armenia and requested information on what actions have been taken to locate the soldiers, and whether they are cooperating with the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers.

For more details, visit the original source.