Armenia has information on cases of enforced disappearance supported by credible evidence and can provide it to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Robert Abisoghomonyan said at the committee’s 31st session.
He said that for Armenia, preventing enforced disappearances and effectively investigating them is not merely a matter of fulfilling international legal obligations. It is also about protecting the dignity of every individual and ensuring that families are not left in uncertainty about the fate and whereabouts of their relatives.
“Over the past six years, Armenia has faced serious and unprecedented challenges stemming from the former conflict in our region. One consequence of these events is the significant number of people considered missing, including individuals for whose enforced disappearance there is credible evidence. Armenia possesses relevant information on most of these cases, which it can submit to the committee,” Abisoghomonyan said.
He noted that, chronologically, cases of enforced disappearance were recorded in the context of the 44-day war in 2020 and the events of September 2022.
“Further cases were recorded during the mass displacement of more than 130,000 Karabakh Armenians in September-October 2023,” the deputy minister said.
Abisoghomonyan highlighted the Law on Persons Missing in Circumstances and Conditions Resulting from Military Operations, which entered into force in May 2026. The law also provides for the participation of family members in relevant procedures, financial compensation and certain social benefits, as well as mechanisms for identifying missing persons.
At the same time, the deputy minister stressed that legislative regulation alone is insufficient to resolve the issue.
“Effective implementation requires appropriate institutional capacity, interagency cooperation, sufficient resources, qualified personnel, access to relevant information and evidence, as well as continuous engagement with affected families,” Abisoghomonyan said.
