Azerbaijan collects 11,500+ DNA samples for missing persons search

More than 11,500 people have provided biological samples to support the identification of Azerbaijanis reported missing during the country's wars with Armenia, with the remains of 327 people already identified, officials stated at an international conference in Baku.

The conference, titled Modern Approaches and Strengthening Cooperation in Addressing Missing Persons Issues, was organised jointly by Azerbaijan's State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), Caliber.Az reports.

Officials said the Main Military Medical Department of Azerbaijan's State Security Service has been conducting large-scale genetic identification of people missing as a result of the conflicts with Armenia since 2022.

The identification process has been complicated by the long passage of time, as skeletal remains recovered from mass graves have suffered severe fragmentation and chemical degradation after years underground.

According to the officials, advanced laboratory protocols have enabled Azerbaijani specialists to overcome complex forensic challenges. The state-funded laboratory is equipped with modern technology and operates under ICMP Standard Operating Procedures, while all stages of the identification process are coordinated through the CLIMS system in accordance with ISO 17025 standards.

The laboratory is integrated with the national DNA database. In 2024, it received ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certification following an assessment by experts from the University of Oslo and Sweden's National Board of Forensic Medicine. The certification was successfully renewed during a scheduled inspection audit in 2025.

They noted that preparations have also been completed for accreditation under the international biobanking standard. Azerbaijan has offered to share its expertise internationally, including by providing methodological assistance and training for Ukrainian geneticists in response to a request from Ukraine's Ministry of Health.

Azerbaijan has established an integrated institutional framework combining a high-tech laboratory, a national DNA database and a centralised coordination system, enabling both the identification of missing persons and comprehensive support for families awaiting information about relatives who disappeared during the two wars with Armenia.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov