Baku: Azerbaijani Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva has called on international organizations to intensify their efforts to determine the fate of nearly 4,000 missing Azerbaijanis. This appeal was made in connection with August 30, the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, Sabina Aliyeva highlighted the significance of the day, established by the United Nations General Assembly to honor those who have disappeared worldwide due to armed conflicts, military operations, or those who have been arrested or murdered under concealed circumstances. She pointed out that armed conflicts in various global regions have led to a rise in enforced disappearances, affecting Azerbaijan significantly due to its long-term occupation.

Aliyeva emphasized that the military aggression by Armenia against Azerbaijan, which spanned thirty years, resulted in thousands of Azerbaijanis going missing, with no information available on their whereabouts. Official records indicate that around 4,000 individuals, including children, women, and the elderly, remain unaccounted for due to the conflict.

She noted that international humanitarian law mandates participating states to provide mutual information about disappeared persons. Despite repeated appeals to international organizations and Armenia for information on missing Azerbaijanis, Aliyeva expressed concern over the lack of practical steps to resolve the issue, notwithstanding Azerbaijan's efforts at the United Nations General Assembly since 2002.

Aliyeva also shared that systematic search operations in Azerbaijan's liberated territories have led to the discovery of mass graves. These efforts have clarified the fate of some missing individuals from the First Karabakh War, although Armenia has not provided information on the precise locations of other mass graves. This lack of cooperation prolongs the suffering of families awaiting news of their loved ones.

In conclusion, Aliyeva paid respect to the memory of those who disappeared due to conflict and other reasons and reiterated her call for the international community and organizations to act decisively in resolving the fate of the missing Azerbaijanis, urging Armenia to meet its international humanitarian law obligations.