Relatives of missing persons, confirmed captives, and victims of the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh war and the Stepanakert fuel depot explosion gathered again in front of the government building. Among them were families of those who died and were buried in Artsakh, now calling for exhumation and transfer of remains to Armenia.
According to Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan, there had been a certain established mechanism for communication with state bodies, particularly through the commission on captives and missing persons, which was headed by former National Security Service chief Armen Abazyan.
“Families had opportunities to meet on various occasions and received assurances that certain efforts were underway and agreements were being sought. But following Armen Abazyan’s resignation, we have no information as to who is now responsible for these matters, or whether anyone is dealing with them at all, or if the government plans to appoint someone. The best option would be to continue the already established work, with Mr. Abazyan’s involvement, since he has handled these issues so far, and the parents believe it would be right for him to retain those responsibilities in some capacity,” Stepanyan said, adding that the new NSS director has no clear information or activity on this matter, reports Pastinfo.
Armen Abazyan was dismissed from his position as Director of the National Security Service on June 18. Since then, many relatives of the missing have demanded his return to continue addressing their cases.
