Azerbaijani Civil Society Raises Missing Persons Issue at UN Committee Session in Geneva

Baku, The Gulf Observer: Azerbaijani civil society representatives made contributions to the 31st session of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) in Geneva, focusing on the cases of Azerbaijani citizens who remain missing, according to Umud Mirzayev, President of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF).

Mirzayev said Azerbaijani civil society representatives participated in the opening of the session on September 14, a special briefing for civil society organisations, the Committee’s review of Armenia’s second periodic report, as well as a number of meetings held during and after the discussions.

Mirzayev, along with Sahib Mammadov, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Citizens’ Labor Rights Protection League, and IEPF representative John Ayomide, took part in various events and discussions during the session.

At the special briefing, Mirzayev and Mammadov presented issues highlighted in alternative reports prepared by Azerbaijani civil society organisations and responded to questions from members of the UN Committee. Ayomide subsequently delivered a joint statement on behalf of the participating Azerbaijani civil society organisations.

The joint statement was submitted by the IEPF, the Citizens’ Labor Rights Protection League, the Human Rights Training and Research Public Union and the Garabagh Missing Families Public Union. The latter organisation also endorsed the statement despite not attending the session.

According to Mirzayev, one of the key outcomes of the Azerbaijani NGOs’ participation in Geneva was the reflection of issues raised by them in questions directed by the UN Committee to Armenia during its review of the country’s second periodic report.

He said Azerbaijani civil society representatives sought to ensure that the cases of Azerbaijanis who have remained missing for decades were addressed through the relevant UN mechanism.

The Azerbaijani representatives focused particularly on people who disappeared after allegedly being taken captive or hostage during the First Garabagh War, including women and children. They also raised issues concerning alleged detention sites, mass graves and information related to the fate of missing persons.

Materials submitted by the Azerbaijani NGOs called for clarification of the fate of 4,010 missing Azerbaijanis, disclosure of information allegedly held by Armenia concerning people who disappeared after being taken captive or hostage, and the provision to Azerbaijan of coordinates of mass graves and burial sites.

Mirzayev said the issue of missing persons should be addressed as a humanitarian and human rights matter. He stressed that families of missing people had been awaiting information for decades and called for relevant information concerning missing persons and possible burial sites to be disclosed.