Excavations in Azerbaijan's Aghdara uncover remains of 15 persons missing since First Karabakh War

In September of this year, excavation efforts in the village of Sirkhavand, located in the Aghdara district, led to the discovery of remains believed to belong to around 15 individuals who went missing during the First Karabakh War.

The remarks were made by Ali Naghiyev, Chairman of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons, during the international conference titled “Addressing the Issue of Missing Persons: Upholding Families’ Right to Know the Truth,” held in Baku, Caliber.Az reports.

According to Nagiyev, the coordinates for the excavation site were provided to the State Commission and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

He noted that ongoing efforts in the area involve further excavations and exhumations. Preliminary analyses and observations suggest a significant likelihood of uncovering multiple mass graves in the vicinity.

Naghiyev also stressed that several mass graves in Karabakh were deliberately destroyed by the separatist regime between the signing of the trilateral declaration in November 2020 and the commencement of the anti-terror operation in September 2023. 

According to Naghiyev, the State Commission and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are aware of the locations of these mass graves, which have been systematically dismantled in an effort to conceal the traces of military crimes committed during the conflict. He highlighted specific examples of mass graves known to the Commission, including those in the villages of Garadaghly (Khojavend district), Dakhraz (Khojaly district), and Sirkhavend (Aghdara district).

“These and other mass graves were deliberately destroyed by Armenians to hide the evidence of their war crimes. These facts exemplify a blatant disregard for international law, as well as for the families of the missing persons and humanity as a whole,” Naghiyev stated.

Post-war searches in the liberated territories unearthed multiple mass and individual graves of Azerbaijanis in Khojaly, Khojavand, Kalbajar, Aghdam, and Fuzuli regions, as well as around the city of Shusha.

Since 2020, at least 500 human remains have been unearthed in such graves in the villages of Bashlibel in Kalbajar, Edilli in Khojavand, Farrukh in Khojaly, Sarijali in Aghdam, Seyidahmadli in Fuzuli region, as well as in the vicinity of the Shusha prison and other settlements.

Historians and analysts in Baku believe that more mass graves of Azerbaijanis killed by Armenian forces could be found in multiple locations in the liberated territories.

Nowadays, the discovery of dozens of mass graves of Azerbaijani victims in territories liberated from Armenian occupation in 2020 serves as a solid testament to the acts of genocide and military crimes committed by Armenian forces during the First Karabakh War.

By Khagan Isayev