Azerbaijan, International Commission discuss search for missing people following Armenia’s military aggression

Azerbaijani Attorney General Kamran Aliyev and Director-General of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) Kathryne Bomberger have recently discussed the issue of individuals missing as a result of Armenia’s military aggression during the meeting. 

The discussion highlighted that 3,983 Azerbaijanis, who went missing due to Armenia’s military actions, were tortured and buried in mass graves. Despite this, the government of Armenia has not yet provided detailed information on the whereabouts or circumstances of these missing individuals, Caliber.Az reports per local media. 

Bomberger expressed ICMP's willingness to support the creation of a comprehensive database of missing persons, enhance the legal framework for investigations, improve the expertise of specialists, and assist in the construction of modern laboratories for these efforts. The meeting also included the exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest between the two sides.

On March 10, Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons held a presentation of the "Assessment Report: Accounting for Missing Persons in the Republic of Azerbaijan" by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).  

The members and staff of the working group of Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons, senior representatives from the international commission, lawmakers, high-ranking officials from relevant government agencies, and representatives from NGOs and the journalists attended the event. 

During his address, Gazanfar Ahmadov, the Secretary of Azerbaijan's State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons, noted that Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan resulted in 3,983 individuals being listed as missing. He specified that 3,977 went missing during the first Karabakh war, while six were lost during the second Karabakh war. Of the total, 3,209 were military personnel, and 774 were civilians.  

Ahmadov further shared that out of the missing, 3,698 were men, and 285 were women.  

He also highlighted that, as of March 1, the remains of 688 individuals presumed to be missing had been discovered. "Through forensic molecular-genetic analysis, the identities of 165 people missing during the first Karabakh war have been confirmed and publicly announced," Ahmadov emphasised.  

By Naila Huseynova