Families of Prisoners and Missing Persons Left Alone with Their Pain: Protest Action

We have left the families of prisoners and missing persons held in Baku alone with their pain; the Armenian state structures have washed their hands of these families' issues and sorrow. This was stated by Ruza Stepanian, a member of the 'Pan-Armenian Front' movement and vice president of the 'Haykanduhkt Traditionalist Democratic' party, during another protest action demanding the release of Armenian prisoners held in Baku outside the Russian Embassy in Armenia.

'There is not a week that these families do not go from one organization to another. They are taken and brought back every day, told not to speak, not to raise their voices,' she said.

Stepanian informed that they have been systematically addressing this issue and that from now on, they will intensify pressure on the government, as they have information that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will be going to New York by the end of the month to meet with the UN Secretary-General.

She also noted that she handed over letters to the UN office regarding the issue of the missing persons and prisoners 20 days ago. 'I was received and told that at this moment, the UN representative in Armenia has managed to speak with his counterpart in Baku, and they have responded that Baku is also demanding its missing persons.'

'Then the UN representative has appealed to the UN Human Rights Commissioner and requested to make the issue of hundreds of missing persons and prisoners from Armenia a subject of investigation. At the same time, they informed that they are currently negotiating with the International Committee of the Red Cross, and all the outcomes reached during the meeting will be sent to me again in the form of a letter,' she said.

Stepanian also reported that they have addressed a letter to the international committee dealing with missing persons, which exclusively handles such issues and can also visit prisons in Baku to get precise information on how many Armenian prisoners are held there.