Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

One of the important indicators of a state's fulfillment of its human rights commitments is how it treats the rights of missing persons and their families. 

More than 30 years after the first war of Nagorno Karabakh, as well as 5 years after the 44-day war unleashed by the Republic of Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020, the parents, families of missing servicemen are in an uncertain condition. As a result of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, 1160 persons are considered missing in the years 1988-2005. According to the data of the RA Investigative Committee, the number of missing persons after the 44-day military operations is 195. 

The closing ceremony of the UN-funded project “Yellow Tulips II” took place on April 29, 2025. The project was dedicated to the protection of rights of missing persons and their families in the Republic of Armenia.

At the closing of the project, speeches were made by the chairman of HCAV, Artur Sakunts, the coordinators of HCAV departments, Nazeli Movsesyan, Ani Chatinyan, Mariam Antonyan, and the director of the “Aystegh” Psychology Lab, Tigran Dovlatyan. 

HCAV has been raising issues related to missing persons and their families since the 2000s, publishing the “Yellow Tulips I” report in 2004. And only as a result of more than 20 years of advocacy, on March 25, 2025, the draft law “On Persons Missing in Conditions and Circumstances Created as a Result of Military Operations” was published on the unified website for publication of Legal Acts' Draft. 

During the discussion, the speakers presented the work carried out on the published draft law, the lengthy 20-year advocacy process, and the problems that have been recorded. The speakers addressed the recommendations given to Armenia by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) under Resolution 1553 regarding the issue of missing persons, and the progress made in fulfilling those recommendations. The speakers also touched upon the legal support framework for families of missing persons, the draft law itself, and the proposals made by HCAV. The psychological condition of families of the missing was also discussed. Following the speeches, a discussion took place among representatives of state agencies, civil society, and family members of missing persons.