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Azerbaijan's Human Rights Commissioner called on international organizations to intensify efforts to determine the fate of approximately 4,000 citizens who disappeared during three decades of conflict with Armenia.
Sabina Aliyeva, Azerbaijan's ombudsman, said in a written statement marking International Day of the Disappeared on Saturday that "the international community and organizations must increase their efforts to clarify the fate of approximately 4,000 of our compatriots, and Armenia must fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law."
The missing persons include 71 children, 284 women and 316 elderly people, according to Aliyeva's statement.
She attributed the disappearances to "military attacks that Armenia carried out against Azerbaijan for 30 years."
Following the second Karabakh War, search operations in liberated territories uncovered mass graves that were determined to contain missing Azerbaijanis, according to the ombudsman.
"Unfortunately, Armenia does not provide information about the location of other mass graves. This situation deepens the pain of families who have not heard from their relatives for years," Aliyeva stated.
Under international humanitarian law provisions, participating states have obligations to share information about missing persons, Aliyeva said.
She stated that Azerbaijan has repeatedly approached international organizations on this issue, but Armenia has not taken concrete steps.
Aliyeva noted that conflicts in various regions worldwide have increased the number of missing persons, leaving thousands with uncertain fates due to wars and occupations.
The ombudsman expressed respect for the memory of all missing Azerbaijanis and reiterated her call for international action to resolve the cases of the approximately 4,000 missing citizens.
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