NGOs submit U.N. report on Armenia's enforced disappearances
ICLaw, PRWB submit report on enforced disappearances in Armenia to U.N.
The International and Comparative Law Center and Protection of Rights Without Borders have submitted a joint report to the U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearances evaluating Armenia's compliance with international obligations.
The report notes that Armenia's Criminal Code criminalizes enforced disappearance under Article 451, though it identifies legislative gaps including the possibility of amnesty or pardon in non-war crime cases. It also reviews Armenia's 2026 Law on Missing Persons in military operations, calling it an important step despite limitations in scope.
Addressing disappearances during 2020 and 2023 military operations, the report documents dozens of cases of Armenian servicemen forcibly disappeared in Azerbaijani custody. While the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement includes provisions for addressing missing persons, the report states no tangible progress has materialized. The authors recommend immediately activating search mechanisms with international oversight rather than waiting for the agreement to take effect.
