Azerbaijan Continues to Hold 38 Armenian Prisoners of War, Mirzoyan's Speech at the UN

Sixteen months after the ceasefire, Azerbaijan continues to detain 38 Armenian prisoners of war, including civilians. This was stated by the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during his speech at the high-level segment of the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The information was published on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website.

Mirzoyan also noted that the fates of hundreds of missing persons, including dozens of forcibly disappeared individuals, remain unknown after the war. “The severe situation of those individuals to whom the UN has no access must not be forgotten. The people of Nagorno-Karabakh must not be subjected to discrimination based on their ethnicity, language, religion, political beliefs, or any other reasons. We strive to achieve the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of Armenians to their homes throughout Nagorno-Karabakh,” said Mirzoyan.

He reminded that interim measures proposed by the International Court of Justice on December 7, 2021, which compel Azerbaijan to cease its racist and discriminatory manifestations against Armenians, including the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage and vandalism, must be unconditionally implemented. According to the minister, these measures serve to demonstrate Azerbaijan's anti-Armenian policy. Therefore, addressing these issues is essential for ensuring stability, peace, justice, and protection of universal human rights in the region.

Mirzoyan called on the international community to take responsibility for ensuring unhindered access throughout Nagorno-Karabakh. He also recalled that UN special procedure mandate holders have repeatedly addressed Azerbaijan regarding issues such as the use of mercenaries within the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and the destruction of religious and cultural heritage. However, Azerbaijan has refused to provide an appropriate response and has virtually not answered recent requests, which, according to Mirzoyan, is a blatant challenge to the UN Human Rights mechanisms.

“Impunity leads to further violations. Besides Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan continues its policy of human rights violations now also in the border areas of Armenia, where the civilian population is suffering from continuous provocative actions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces,” he stated. Furthermore, Mirzoyan added that Armenia intends to present a draft resolution on the prevention of genocide during this session of the Council; this is an agenda that Armenia has been promoting for years.