(MENAFN- AzerNews) In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres,
Azerbaijan's Permanent Representative to the UN Yashar Aliyev
talked about the country's efforts to determine the fate of several
thousands of its citizens, who went missing during the Armenian
aggression in the early 1990s, Azernews reports.
The letter disclosed that as a result of the Armenian
aggression, 3,890 Azerbaijani citizens had gone missing, 719 of
whom were civilians, including 71 children, 267 women, and 326
elderly. Besides, it was mentioned that 872 people (605 military
personnel and 267 civilians, including 29 children, 98 women, and
112 elderly) were taken hostage. The letter pointed out that
nothing is known about their fates, adding that there are dozens of
facts about the killing of Azerbaijani prisoners of war in Armenian
captivity.
'At the end of 2020, evidence of Armenia's gross and systematic
violation of international law was found in Azerbaijan's liberated
territories. From February 2021 to November 2022, the remains of
approximately 118 people were found in mass graves in those areas.
The human remains demonstrate the deliberate killing of Azerbaijani
civilians and other people under international humanitarian law. A
mass grave unveiled in a mountain cave near Kalbajar District's
Bashlybel village proved that the Armenian armed forces had opened
fire on villagers, who had taken refuge in the cave, killing at
least 12 people, including two children and five elderly,” the
letter underscored.
The letter underlined that another piece of evidence of this
violence is the mass grave discovered in Khojavand's Edilli, where
the remains of dozens of Azerbaijanis were found with their hands
and feet tied. It was noted that more human remains of women and
children were discovered in a mass grave in Khojaly District's
Farrukh settlement and other liberated lands.
Aliyev highlighted that Armenia has refused to provide any
information about the persons, who went missing during the nearly
30-year-long occupation. He informed the public that only in 2022
Armenia handed over 67 sacks with the mixed remains of 106 people
to Azerbaijan.
“The fact that Armenia has kept these remains for thirty years,
contrary to all moral principles, violating international
humanitarian law and openly ignoring the right of people to know
the fate of their loved ones, causes deep indignation,” the
official said.
Further, the diplomat stressed that up until now, Armenia evades
providing information on mass graves in Azerbaijan's liberated
territories, noting that the country's search operations are also
hindered by a serious mine threat due to Armenia's refusal to
provide complete and accurate maps of hundreds of thousands of
mines planted in the territory during the occupation.
Aliyev also recalled that the General Assembly and the Security
Council adopted a series of resolutions on missing persons,
reiterating the obligations of states to prevent violence and
account for the fate of missing persons under international
humanitarian law.
'These obligations should be urgent measures in protecting the
rights of victims and their families,' he noted.
In conclusion, the diplomat strongly emphasized the importance
for the international community to insist that Armenia fulfills its
obligations on this issue.
Over 4,000 Azerbaijanis went missing as a result of the first
Karabakh war. It is believed that the vast majority of them were
systematically killed and buried in mass graves.
---