Azerbaijan continues to ignore the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the introduction of interim measures to provide information on Armenian hostages, as well as the urgent measures indicated by the International Court of Justice on December 7, 2021, which oblige Azerbaijan to stop its racist and discriminatory policies against Armenians, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on the Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
“Enforced disappearance of people is by its very nature a violation of fundamental human rights. It violates a whole range of human rights established by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, as well as international human rights covenants and other key international human rights instruments,” the Ministry said.
It noted that “this complex crime violates all human rights, including the right to life, the right not to be subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the right to liberty and security, the right to a fair trial, the right to an effective remedy and the right to know the truth about the circumstances of the disappearance. International law considers enforced disappearance to be a crime against humanity under certain circumstances.”
“International humanitarian law aims to prevent people from disappearing as a result of arbitrary arrests, detention and other violations during captivity. After the ceasefire signed on November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian prisoners of war and civilians, as hostages, and the fates of hundreds of missing and forcibly disappeared as a result of the first and 44-day Karabakh wars remain unknown,” the statement reads.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the lack of cooperation on the part of the Azerbaijani authorities makes it impossible to accurately estimate the number of missing persons and to obtain reliable information about the fate or whereabouts and whether they are still alive.
“Azerbaijan continues to ignore the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the introduction of interim measures to provide information on Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan, as well as the urgent measures indicated by the International Court of Justice on December 7, 2021, which oblige Azerbaijan to stop its racist and discriminatory policies against Armenians,” the MFA said in the statement.
“The issue of disappearances is a humanitarian priority that must be depoliticized and resolved with strong political will and cooperation. In the absence of such an approach, justice and social healing, and therefore long-term peace, will remain elusive, the Ministry said, calling on the international community to take responsibility for providing unconditional access to the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which can alleviate the current humanitarian crisis.
“On the International Day of Enforced Disappearances, we express our solidarity with the families of the victims and all those who suffer from these inhuman acts. We fight for the rights of the disappeared, we continue to fight for justice and against impunity for this crime. We reiterate our urgent call to end impunity for enforced disappearances,” the Ministry concluded.
