Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

Since 2023, HCAV has been protecting the rights of forcibly displaced persons due to the unleashed actions of Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh. In February 2025, A.B., a citizen of Nagorno Karabakh, who had been unable to obtain RA citizenship for 9 months, applied to the Organization to protect his rights. The latter had applied to the  “Vanadzor 2” department of the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RA to obtain citizenship, where the service employees informed him that to obtain citizenship, A.B. should present the marriage certificate of his parents. 

It was impossible to submit the certificate, as the parents of the citizen of Nagorno Karabakh did not have a state registration of marriage but since 1982 have been in marital relationships.   The parents lived in the city of Sumgait, where the father of A.B. died during the massacres in 1988 and A.B. moved to Nagorno Karabakh with his mother. 

In fact, the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Internal Affairs of the RA, during the process of granting citizenship, has created an unfavorable factual circumstance for the person, requiring a document that not only does not exist but also claims the citizen to find that document. According to the RA law “On fundamentals of administrative action and administrative proceedings”, it is enshrined that “if the administrative body has reasonable suspicions about the data presented by persons, regarding the authenticity of the information, then it is obliged to take measures by itself and at its own expense to verify its authenticity. 

As a result, we record that A.B. has submitted to the Service all the documents specified in point 1 of Appendix 2 to the RA Government Decree No. 1390-N dated 23.11.2007 “On obtaining RA citizenship…”, and the marriage certificate of the latter’s parents is not confirmed on any legal basis, does not have state registration, therefore it is impossible to submit it. 

Under the above circumstances, HCAV has applied to Arpine Sargsyan, the Minister of the Internal Affairs of the RA to resolve the problem of granting citizenship to A.B. In response to the Organization’s application, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RA has informed in writing that the process of granting citizenship has already started. 

HCAV continues to provide free legal support to forcibly displaced persons from NK. To get support, you can call at the following numbers: 

094042268

094962324

011242268

077342268

The project is cofounded with the support of the European Union and the Democracy Development Foundation.