ICMP assessment report on search for missing persons in Azerbaijan presented

Azerbaijan's State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons organized a presentation ceremony for the “Assessment Report on the Search for Missing Persons in the Republic of Azerbaijan” prepared by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) on Monday.

Report informs that the members of the state commission and employees of its working group, high-ranking representatives of the ICMP, parliamentarians, heads of relevant state bodies, NGOs and media representatives attended the event.

It was noted that during the past period, the state commission has taken appropriate steps to clarify the fate of the missing, continued the process of taking biological samples from families, and produced DNA profiles:

"Excavations carried out in the liberated territories since February 2021 have identified 23 burial sites, and human remains belonging to our compatriots who disappeared in those graves have been discovered and recovered."

It was specifically noted that Armenia refuses to cooperate with Azerbaijan in clarifying the fate of missing persons and avoids providing information about mass grave sites under various pretexts:

" During the conflict, Armenia repeatedly violated international legal norms protecting individuals from enforced disappearance. The systematic breaches included the hostage-taking of civilians, inhumane treatment and torture of prisoners of war, deprivation of liberty without trial, extrajudicial executions, and the mass burial of individuals without adherence to burial traditions. Additionally, gravesites were deliberately concealed or destroyed. Given these grave crimes, it is expected that the number of such mass graves will continue to increase."

It was noted that the state commission, striving to utilize all available means to put an end to the 30-year-long wait of the families of the missing, intends to strengthen its cooperation with the International Commission. The ICMP possesses extensive experience in uncovering illegal burial sites worldwide, identifying human remains, clarifying the fate of missing persons, and conducting forensic examinations. It also has a team of professional experts, advanced technical capabilities, and modern methodologies in the relevant field.

In conclusion, confidence was expressed that cooperation with the International Commission on Missing Persons will yield effective results in clarifying the fate of the missing Azerbaijanis.