Baku: Sabina Aliyeva, Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has issued a statement on 30 August-International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The statement emphasizes the importance of determining the fate of those missing due to conflicts and ensuring the right to truth for their families and society as a whole, as mandated by international law. The United Nations established this day to draw attention to the issue and commemorate the missing and unidentified persons affected by wars and military operations.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance outline obligations to clarify the fate of missing persons and inform their families, which are essential concepts of international humanitarian law. For Azerbaijan, the issue remains relevant due to the consequences of armed conflicts, particularly the First and Second Garabagh Wars, which resulted in thousands of Azerbaijani families living in uncertainty about their missing loved ones.

Official data from the State Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons indicates that more than 4,000 Azerbaijani citizens were registered as missing due to the First Garabagh War. Following the Second Garabagh War, the State conducted systematic search, exhumation, forensic examination, and identification activities in 32 mass graves in liberated territories. Through Forensic-DNA matching, the identities of 328 individuals have been established, and the remains of 250 individuals have been returned to their families. Efforts in this area continue.

Despite peace measures between the involved States, the fate of 3,682 Azerbaijani citizens remains unknown, highlighting the need for strengthened international cooperation. The passage of time complicates these efforts due to the deterioration of material evidence, fewer witnesses, and limited information availability.

Aliyeva calls upon international and regional human rights organizations and national human rights institutions to intensify efforts to ascertain the fate of missing persons and engage in cooperation for practical results, emphasizing this humanitarian obligation under international humanitarian law.