State Commission updates figures on Khojaly Genocide missing persons

As of January 1, 2026, a total of 210 people remain listed as missing in connection with the Khojaly Genocide, including 168 civilians and 42 members of the city’s self-defence unit, according to Eldar Samadov, deputy head of the working group of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Missing Persons, and Hostages.

According to Caliber.Az, he shared the figures during an event marking the 34th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide. He specified that among the missing civilians are 38 children — 23 boys and 15 girls — as well as 57 women and 30 elderly individuals.

Samadov also provided details on ongoing search and identification efforts. He noted that since February 2021, search and exhumation operations have led to the discovery of the remains of 831 people. In territories liberated from occupation, investigators uncovered 32 mass graves, from which the remains of 252 individuals were exhumed.

According to him, forensic molecular genetic examinations enabled the identification of 220 people who had been missing since the First Karabakh War. Their remains were returned to their families and subsequently buried. Of those identified, 24 were individuals who went missing during the Khojaly genocide, Samadov added.

By Tamilla Hasanova