ICLaw, PRWB submit report to UN on enforced disappearances and missing persons in Armenia

(Horizon Media / YEREVAN) — The International and Comparative Law Center (ICLaw) and Protection of Rights Without Borders (PRWB) have jointly submitted a report to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances examining Armenia’s implementation of its obligations under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

The report reviews Armenia’s legal framework, noting that enforced disappearance is criminalized under Article 451 of the Criminal Code and may also constitute a crime against humanity or a war crime. It nevertheless identifies legislative shortcomings, including provisions that may allow amnesty or pardon in certain enforced disappearance cases.

The organizations also assessed Armenia’s March 2026 law on persons missing as a result of military operations. While describing the legislation as an important step toward regulating searches, family rights and a unified register, the report notes that its scope is limited to disappearances linked to armed conflict.

Particular attention is given to cases stemming from the 2020 and 2023 hostilities. The report states that dozens of cases have been documented involving Armenian servicemen who forcibly disappeared while in Azerbaijani custody.

The report further addresses provisions in the initial Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement concerning missing and forcibly disappeared persons, including information exchanges, searches and the return of remains.

While welcoming the inclusion of the issue in the peace process, the organizations stress that no tangible progress has followed. They call for search and identification mechanisms to be activated immediately, without waiting for the peace agreement to enter into force, and urge the involvement of an independent and neutral international party.