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Issues raised by Azerbaijani NGOs reflected in UN Committee recommendations on Armenia

02 October 2026 16:48 (UTC +04:00)

A number of issues raised in an alternative report submitted by the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances have been reflected in the Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations concerning Armenia, APA reports.

IEPF President Umud Mirzayev made the remarks while commenting on the Committee’s concluding document on additional information submitted by Armenia.

Mirzayev said a comparison of the Committee’s September 24, 2026 document with the alternative report submitted by the IEPF and the issues raised by Azerbaijani civil society representatives in Geneva showed significant overlap. The UN treaty body database confirms that the IEPF submission and its annex were registered as INT/CED/NGO/ARM/69875 and INT/CED/NGO/ARM/69876.

“Our main objective was not simply to have the alternative report published on the UN platform. We wanted to bring the fate of Azerbaijanis who have remained missing for decades, particularly children, back onto the international legal agenda and ensure that specific questions were put to Armenia. From this perspective, the provisions included in the Committee’s final document are highly significant,” he said.

According to Mirzayev, the alternative report focused particularly on Azerbaijani citizens who were taken prisoner or hostage during the First Karabakh War and whose fate subsequently remained unknown, including 71 people who were children at the time of their disappearance.

He said the report raised issues concerning efforts to establish the fate of missing persons, investigate possible cases of enforced disappearance, disclose information on mass graves, identify human remains and strengthen cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Mirzayev noted that the Committee addressed allegations of enforced disappearances involving military personnel and civilians, including women and children, in the context of the Karabakh conflict, and called for thorough, effective and impartial investigations.

He added that the document also addressed the continuation of searches and investigations until the fate of missing persons is established, regular provision of information to families, and accountability regardless of the nationality of alleged perpetrators.

Mirzayev also highlighted recommendations concerning mass graves, the identification of human remains and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

According to him, the Committee recommended strengthening the exchange of information and evidence between the two countries and expanding cooperation among relevant state commissions, prosecutors’ offices and law-enforcement agencies.

The recommendations also include consideration of mechanisms for anonymously providing information on burial sites and strengthening cooperation in the search for, exhumation and identification of human remains, Mirzayev said.

He stressed that the outcome was the result of long-term cooperation between Azerbaijani civil society organizations and relevant state institutions, as well as joint work by civil society representatives during the Committee’s 31st session.

Mirzayev added that particular attention would continue to be paid to the fate of Azerbaijanis who were children when they went missing.

“The main issue is that the recommendations should not remain only on paper, but should be implemented,” he said, adding that the IEPF and other civil society organizations would continue raising the issue of missing Azerbaijanis on international platforms.