Today is the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
We note with particular sorrow that the Artsakh Museum of the Missing in Stepanakert was looted and destroyed by the Azerbaijani occupation administration. The Artsakh Ministry of Culture issued a statement on this matter.
This museum contains priceless testimonies of our compatriots, whose fate is still unknown.
Since the First Artsakh War, 777 Armenians remain missing.
As of 2020, after a 44-day war, the fate of 175 servicemen and 20 civilians remains unknown.
As of September 2023, 42 people remain missing during the occupation of Artsakh and subsequent forced deportation.
Azerbaijan bears full responsibility for the enforced disappearances and destruction of cultural evidence related to this tragedy. The looting and destruction of the Stepanakert Museum is not only a crime against the memory of the people of Artsakh, but also a gross violation of international law.
Today, it is obvious that international organizations have failed to fulfill their mission to protect the victims of enforced disappearances and preserve cultural heritage. Their inaction contributes to impunity.
The right of the people of Artsakh to return to their own land is the only effective mechanism for protecting cultural heritage, restoring the memory of the missing and preserving our identity.
We respect the memory of every missing person and declare: our struggle for the truth and return will continue.