Azerbaijani families of missing persons hold protest in Geneva

On August 30, the International Day of the Disappeared, the “Garabagh Missing Families” Public Union held a protest in Geneva, in front of the symbolic “Broken Chair” monument near the UN’s European headquarters at the Palais des Nations, Azernews reports.

The demonstration featured the personal belongings and documents of Azerbaijani missing persons, displayed alongside powerful messages that conveyed their untold stories. Each exhibit symbolized a life cut short: “My time stopped! Who noticed?” read the banner about Zahid Gasimov, whose watch was shown; “No scarf warms me,” said the sign for Gurbat Hasanov, remembered only by his scarf; “My story has no end,” was written for Telman Yusifov, whose shirt and manuscripts were displayed.

The protest carried deeply personal testimonies from families. Konul Behbudova, chair of the union, held her missing brother Abbas Behbudov’s documents alongside a sign reading: “Documents are here, life is missing.” Mothers, wives, and children of the disappeared shared similar heartbreaking messages: “Born to live, not to disappear,” read the banner of Ilham Dadashov’s mother; “Hope is as tiny as these dice,” said the wife of Azad Jabbarov, displaying the two backgammon dice left from her husband. One empty box symbolized the Mammadov family, wiped out entirely in the 1992 Khojaly massacre: “The Mammadovs — a lost family. No graves, only echoes.”

This was the first overseas protest organized by families of missing Azerbaijanis. Just days earlier, on August 28, relatives were received for the first time at the UN, where they met with the Secretariat of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Families expressed declining trust in the International Committee of the Red Cross, saying their hopes of receiving information had been severely undermined. They also called for the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on Missing Persons, stressing that enforced disappearances are a global problem.

According to official figures, 3,990 Azerbaijani citizens went missing as a result of Armenia’s military aggression, including 71 children, 284 women, and 316 elderly people. Six of them disappeared during the 44-day war in 2020. Families highlighted that in the past five years, 28 mass graves have been discovered in formerly occupied territories, revealing evidence of large-scale killings and inhumane burials. They demanded that Armenia hand over maps of the burial sites and bring to justice those responsible for war crimes, noting that none of the perpetrators have faced accountability.