APA's interview with Eldar Samadov, Deputy Head of the Working Group of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons of the Republic of Azerbaijan
As a result of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan, 3,983 individuals are registered as missing persons
- It is reported that following the Victory in the Patriotic War, citizens' appeals to the State Commission have increased. Has there been any change in the list of missing persons after these appeals? How many people are currently registered as missing persons in the First Garabagh War in the State Commission?
- After the great Victory in the Patriotic War, under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, the State Commission continues to receive appeals from the families of persons who went missing in the First Garabagh War. Appeals are received not only from family members of persons registered as missing persons but also from family members of persons who were not registered. Of course, the employees of the State Commission Working Group receive citizens who apply in the daily work process and work with them continuously and regularly.
The liberation of the homeland from occupation has created great hopes among people regarding the clarification of the fate of their missing relatives. In parallel, appeals are being received both by the State Commission and by law enforcement entities, especially the Prosecutor General's Office.
In addition, the Working Group is taking appropriate steps to identify and register persons who were left out from the State Commission's missing persons registration, as well as to identify and take samples from our citizens who have not provided biological samples for DNA analysis of their missing relatives, appeals are being addressed to the public, and investigations are being conducted. It is known to the public that before the Patriotic War, 3,890 people were registered as missing persons as a result of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan by the State Commission. Currently, according to information as of 01.02.2025, 3,983 people are registered as missing persons as a result of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan by the State Commission. Of them, 3,977 went missing in the First Garabagh War, and 6 in the Patriotic War.
Out of 3,983 people, 3,209 are military personnel, 774 are civilians. Of the civilians, 75 are minors, 116 are women, and 315 are elderly.
Currently, the State Commission Working Group is investigating several appeals regarding the disappearance of our citizens in the First Garabagh War. Given that the appeals are ongoing, it is not ruled out that this will not be the final number.
Remains of bodies believed to belong to 187 people who went missing in the First Garabagh War have been discovered and removed from 23 mass graves
- How many mass graves have been discovered in the liberated territories so far, and how many human remains have been found in those mass graves? How many missing persons have been identified based on the human remains found? And is there a possibility that additional mass graves will be discovered?
- It should be especially emphasized that immediately after the great Victory achieved in the Patriotic War, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, set the State Commission an important task of taking urgent measures to clarify the fate of our citizens who went missing as a result of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan.
As already reported to the public, the first mass graves were discovered on February 17, 2021 in the Dashalti settlement of the Shusha district. The remains of 28 people were exhumed and removed from the two mass graves discovered there. I would also like to note that it was possible to identify 14 missing martyrs based on the remains discovered in the Dashalti settlement. These individuals are Azerbaijani servicemen who were martyred in the battles for the Dashalti settlement on January 26, 1992.
In the subsequent period, 21 more mass graves were discovered and excavations were carried out in our liberated territories. In total, the remains of 187 people who went missing in the First Garabagh War were discovered and removed from the 23 discovered mass graves. Based on these remains, 59 missing martyrs were identified and handed over to their families.
Analyzing the nature of the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Armenian military against the Azerbaijani people, work is ongoing to uncover mass graves in our liberated territories.
The State Commission receives a lot of information and materials on this. In particular, during the First Garabagh War, people who participated in battles and were released from captivity are currently submitting information to the State Commission. However, the expert team faces a number of difficulties in identifying mass graves and other known burial sites. If one of the main reasons for this is the excessive contamination of the territories with mines and unexploded ordnance, another reason is the formation of an additional soil layer in the territories and changes in the terrain. Of course, based on the testimonies of witnesses, search and excavation work is regularly continued by experts. However, with great regret, I must say that in many cases the excavations conducted on the basis of the provided information do not yield results.
Witnesses have difficulty in accurately showing the burial sites that were known to them at the time
This is because, during the occupation period, acts of vandalism were carried out by Armenians in the territory, in particular, cemeteries and burial sites were purposefully destroyed. The main reason for this is the concealment of the criminal acts they committed against the Azerbaijani people. In addition, over 30 years of ecocide have been carried out in the occupied territories, causing serious damage to the ecology of Azerbaijan. For this reason, witnesses have difficulty in accurately showing the graves they once knew. Undoubtedly, during the First Garabagh War, genocide, terrorism, and ethnic cleansing were committed against Azerbaijanis, and the norms and principles of international humanitarian law were grossly violated in relation to prisoners and hostages.
In each of the 23 mass graves discovered in liberated territories of Azerbaijan, human remains belonging to more than 2 people were discovered
I would like to clarify the concept of “mass grave” for your readers. What should we understand by “mass grave”? A mass grave is the chaotic burial of more than two people in one pit without observing any religious or humanitarian rules. In each of the 23 mass graves discovered in our liberated territories, human remains belonging to more than 2 people were discovered.
For example, as I mentioned above, the remains of 28 people were exhumed from 2 mass graves discovered in the Dashalti settlement of Shusha district, 27 people from 3 mass graves discovered in the Edilli village of Khojavand district, 18 people from a mass grave discovered in Khojaly city, and 15 people from a mass grave in the Sirkhavand village of Aghdara region.
- How many people were registered as missing persons by the State Commission during the Khojaly genocide?
- As I mentioned above, after the great Victory achieved in the Patriotic War, the number of new applications to the State Commission regarding the disappearance of our citizens in the First Garabagh War has increased. These applications are also made by persons whose relatives went missing during the Khojaly genocide. I can say that as a result of the investigation of applications submitted in 2024, the fact of the disappearance of 13 more of our citizens during the Khojaly genocide was determined and they were registered as missing persons in the appropriate manner.
According to the information as of 01.02.2025, 210 people are registered as missing persons during the Khojaly genocide in the State Commission. Of them, 168 are civilians, 42 are military personnel. Among the civilians, there are 38 children - 23 boys, 15 girls, 57 women - 15 elderly women, and 30 old men. Of the 210 missing, 95 have eyewitness testimonies about their capture and detention during the occupation.
Some families of missing people are still evading to provide biological samples
- Has the process of collecting biological samples from the families of missing persons been completed?
- I should note that the State Commission has been carrying out the work of collecting biological samples from the family members of missing persons since 2014. As a result of this process, biological samples from more than 11 thousand donors, that is, from their close relatives, have been collected and systematized for more than 3,700 missing persons.
It should be noted that people who hesitated to provide biological samples before the Patriotic War, those who could not apply because they were abroad, have begun to apply with hope in the current process, as well as after the fate of some of the missing persons has already been determined. Undoubtedly, taking biological samples from them is of an important nature for the identification of the discovered remains.
However, I would like to note that we also have difficulties in this area as well. Despite the fact that the process began in 2014, some of the families of the missing persons still, to put it mildly, evade to provide biological samples. Citizens have been repeatedly addressed on the issue administratively and through the press. I consider it necessary to take this opportunity to appeal once again to our citizens who have not provided DNA samples: Dear families of the missing persons, since this is a very important factor in determining the fate of the missing persons, we ask you to approach the State Commission again and provide DNA samples.
It should be particularly noted that the DNA profiles of the collected biological samples are archived in the Genetic Research Center established at the Main Military Medical Directorate of the State Security Service by order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ali Nagiyev, based on the appeal of the Chairman of the State Commission. Molecular-genetic expertise related to the collection of DNA samples from the families of the missing persons and the identification of human remains is also carried out at the Genetic Research Center of the Main Military Medical Directorate of the State Security Service.
Unfortunately, not all of the remains we discovered meet the requirements for conducting molecular-genetic analyses
- In total, how many missing persons have been identified through DNA samples? Are there other ways to identify the missing persons?
- As a result of the forensic molecular-genetic examination of the remains since the beginning of the process in 2021, the identities of 165 missing persons from the First Garabagh War have been identified and made public, handed over to their families and buried in accordance with the requirements of the legislation and national-religious traditions.
Of course, an important aspect in the identification process is the response given by the molecular genetic laboratory. If the found remains contain a biological sample, in other words, material suitable for DNA analysis, its identity is easier to determine. In addition, other methods are also used in the identification process of missing persons. Initially, antemortem - pre-death information is collected regarding the missing persons. After the graves are discovered, postmortem - post-death information is collected to compare with previous information. In general, identification is a very complex process, requiring a long time, material and human resources. The remains found during the exhumation process must meet certain requirements. Unfortunately, not all of the remains we have discovered meet the requirements for conducting molecular-genetic analyses.
In general, all information provided during the collection of antemortem data is registered, in this process, information provided by the family members of the deceased, the last people who saw him and were with him is collected and systematized. I mean information such as the clothes, shoes, comb, pen, wristwatch, etc. that the deceased was wearing the last time, or the comb, pen, wristwatch, etc. in his pocket. If artifacts corresponding to the said parameters are found in the grave, and if the area of martyrdom of the missing person is also known to specialists, these methodologies are also used.
- Which state entities are involved in the search for graves of missing persons, excavation, exhumation, identification and burial of missing persons and martyrs?
- The State Commission on Prisoners of War, Missing and Hostages and its executive body, the Working Group, were established in 1993 by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Currently, 21 entities are represented in the State Commission.
The search for graves of missing persons as a result of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan, excavation, exhumation, proper packaging and transportation of discovered remains, identification and organization of burial ceremonies of identified missing persons and martyrs are regulated and coordinated by the Working Group of the State Commission.
The Genetic Research Center of the Main Directorate of Military Medicine of the State Security Service and other relevant departments, the Forensic Medical Expertise and Pathological Anatomy Unit of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Service for Mobilization and Conscription, the State Border Service, ANAMA, the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS, and local executive authorities are closely involved in this process. I would also like to note that in 2021, a team consisting of specialists from relevant state bodies was created to search for, exhume, and identify the remains of the deceased. This team continues its activities.
- How are the relations between the families of missing persons and the State Commission regulated, how do you work with them? Please provide information on this.
- Under the leadership of the Chairman of the State Commission, Chief of the State Security Service, Colonel General Ali Nagiyev, as in all areas related to the work of prisoners, hostages and missing persons, increased attention has been paid to the field of work with the families of the missing persons. In accordance with the instructions of the Chairman of the Commission, the Working Group is in daily contact with the families of the missing, taking into account the sensitivity of the problem, an individual approach is demonstrated to the issues raised by citizens.
Modern technological innovations are used to facilitate citizens' appeals to the State Commission. Citizens can easily contact the Working Group and get answers to their questions using the Commission's email address [email protected], mobile phone number 010-232-33-77 and "hotline" 81-61. In addition, these means of communication are easily used to provide DNA samples.
In the process of working with families, the sensitivity of the problem should be taken into account. People who have lost loved ones are people who have experienced moral and psychological trauma. An individual approach to each family is important here. In many cases, we do not wait for a citizen's application. That is, if the need arises in the work process, the employees of the Working Group establish contact with citizens and work with them. Of course, the families of the missing persons are at the center of the activities of the State Commission.
Photo - Rufat Mustafayev ©️ APA GROUP
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