Aghvan Stepanian's Statement on Missing Persons

The Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, Gegham Stepanyan, has issued a statement in connection with International Day of the Disappeared, emphasizing the necessity of bringing this issue to the international community's attention once again.

The statement is presented below:

“Since the first Artsakh war, hundreds of fates of missing persons have unfortunately joined the cases of those still unfound as a result of the Azerbaijani aggression in 2020. Despite ongoing efforts in this direction, the Azerbaijani side has not demonstrated proper cooperation in providing information about missing persons to either the Armenian side or international organizations, even though there are undeniable facts regarding many individuals being under Azerbaijan's control.

Behind every missing fate are people who suffer from the pain of not knowing the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones, and they fight against the uncertainties and numerous consequences that arise from this situation. Alongside the terrifying pain that only grows over the years due to unanswered questions, the relatives of the missing often face numerous social, psychological, legal, and economic difficulties. Daily care from both the state and society is critically important and necessary for them.

On International Day of the Disappeared, we are obliged to again raise our voices and draw the attention of international organizations to this crucial issue. Today, I visited the Union of Relatives of Missing Freedom Fighters of Artsakh and discussed several issues regarding cooperation between the organization and the Human Rights Defender's office.”