Return My 20-Year-Old Daughter's Body to Be Buried on My Land: Open Letter from Helen's Mother to Pashinyan and Mirzoyan

The mother of 20-year-old Helen from Artsakh has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. This was reported by Armlur.am, which has also published the letter.

“For the past 14 days, my daughter Helen’s body has been at the morgue in Goris. The International Committee of the Red Cross has informed us that 'the issue of transporting 20-year-old Helen's body to Artsakh has been politicized by both sides due to the disagreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.' Is my daughter's body, the mourning of my home, to become a petty political issue? This is unacceptable. You speak of international humanitarian law, while Ilham Aliyev beats his chest in international forums claiming to defend the rights of Artsakh Armenians; is this the humanitarian law you are advocating? In fact, Aliyev is rejecting Artsakh and its Armenians.

What I want from this world, from the authorities in Armenia and Azerbaijan, is one thing: return my 20-year-old daughter's body so I can bury her on my land.

I appeal to you, Nikol Pashinyan and Ararat Mirzoyan, fulfill your duties to resolve this situation. My daughter must be buried on my land, alongside us, and you must solve this issue. Do not politicize my daughter's tragic death. I will not give up; I will fight until my daughter is returned to my side. Act, Nikol Pashinyan and Ararat Mirzoyan,” the open letter states.