Official: Mass graves exist in Azerbaijani territory where Russian forces temporarily stationed

Ismayil Akhundov, the Head of the working group of the Azerbaijani State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing People, has said that there are mass graves in Azerbaijani territory where Russian forces are temporarily stationed.

Akhundov made the remarks at the international conference entitled “Increasing national and global efforts to clarify the fate of missing persons” which kicked off in Baku on September 18, APA reports.

He said that it is necessary to create an institution that will deal with the issue of people missing as a result of the conflict following Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan in the early 1990s.

“The enemy’s target was Azerbaijani civilians and members of their families. Proceeding from international law, families are entitled to receive information about their relatives. However, Azerbaijani families have been unable to obtain information about their missing relatives for 30 years. Currently, the main factor preventing excavations in the burials in the liberated territories is mines. According to the information obtained by the commission, there are mass graves in the liberated territories, in the territories where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed. According to the plan, excavation and exhumation are being carried out in these lands to reveal burial sites,” the head of the working group said.