Azerbaijani families of missing persons hold first protest abroad

On August 30, International Day of the Disappeared, the “Karabakh Missing Families” Public Union held a protest in Geneva in front of the “Palace of Nations,” where the UN’s European office is located, at the symbolic “Broken Chair” monument, which represents the cries of people suffering from all forms of armed violence. During the protest, personal belongings and documents of missing Azerbaijanis were displayed, and an original composition of slogans was presented, narrating their life stories and addressing humanity in their voice.

“My time has stopped; has anyone noticed?”

Slogans included: for the missing Zahid Gasimov, whose watch was displayed, “My time has stopped; has anyone noticed?”; for the missing Gurbat Hasanov, whose scarf was the only memento, “No scarf can warm me”; and for the missing Telman Yusifov, whose shirt and handwritten notes were shown, “My story has no end.”

The chairwoman of the “Karabakh Missing Families” Public Union, Konul Behbudova, displayed documents belonging to her missing brother Abbas Behbudov, holding a sign that read, “Documents are here, life is missing.” Elmira Dadashova, the mother of missing Ilham Dadashov, held a photo of her son with the slogan, “Born to live, not to disappear.” Mahuru Shahin, the mother of missing Shahin Aliyev, displayed, “Countless dreams — all unfinished.” Farida Jabbarova, the wife of missing Azad Jabbarov, exhibited two backgammon dice left by her husband, with the slogan, “Hope is as tiny as these dice,” expressing that she has been waiting for news for years and is exhausted. The slogan “Reyhan, my love… only my silence reaches you?” was dedicated to Reyhan Janiyeva, the wife of missing Saxavat Janiyev. Parvana Mammadova, the wife of missing Ogtay Mammadov, displayed the slogan, “Diploma, dreams... but suddenly, the silence of ages.”

“The Mammadovs – a lost family: no graves, only echoes”

One of the boxes was left empty. This box was dedicated to the memory of the Mammadov family, completely annihilated during the 1992 Khojaly genocide: “The Mammadovs – a lost family: no graves, only echoes.”

During the protest, impactful messages were also addressed to humanity regarding other missing persons, including Natiq Malikov, Ixtiyar Mammadov, Bafadar Mirzayev, Feyruz Jalilov, Shirindil Hasanguliyev, Ismail Ismailov, Etibar Ahmadov, Aliyar Aliyev, Abulfat Aliyev, Telman Mustafayev, Shahin Aliyev, Aydin Karimov, Tayyar Aghayev, and others.

Confidence in the International Committee of the Red Cross is waning

The protest garnered significant attention, with Geneva residents accessing detailed information about the missing persons through a relevant QR code. During the peaceful protest, people approached the families of the missing Azerbaijanis, offering their condolences and support.

This was the first protest held abroad by the family members of missing Azerbaijanis.

Prior to this, on August 28, the “Karabakh Missing Families” Public Union’s appeal received a response at the UN level for the first time. Family members of missing Azerbaijanis were received at the UN, meeting with the Secretariat of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) in Geneva.

During the meeting, the families of the missing expressed that their confidence in the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide information about their loved ones has been significantly undermined. They highlighted the global nature of the issue of missing persons and emphasized the urgent need for the establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on missing persons.

3,990 People Missing

As a result of Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan, 3,990 Azerbaijani citizens have gone missing, including 6 individuals who disappeared during the 44-day war in 2020. Among the missing are 71 children, 284 women, and 316 elderly persons. According to the requirements of international humanitarian law and its primary source, the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, the right of families to obtain information about missing persons during armed conflicts is unequivocally recognized. During the protest in Geneva, the families of missing Azerbaijanis demanded respect for this right.

The families called on Armenia to hold war criminals accountable, stating that not a single person responsible for war crimes against Azerbaijan has been brought to justice in Armenia. On the contrary, at various times, these individuals have been falsely portrayed as heroes in Armenian society.

The families highlighted that the discovery of 28 mass graves in territories liberated from occupation since 2020 paints a horrifying picture. The mass killing of people, their burial in inhumane conditions, and the erasure of their traces represent a disregard for all human values and an act of barbarity. It was recalled that in some cases, entire families and generations have gone missing together. During the First Karabakh War, between 2 to 7 members of 61 families went missing, and the fate of none of them is known. The “Karabakh Missing Families” Public Union demanded that Armenia provide Azerbaijan with maps related to these mass graves.