Families of soldiers killed during the last Nagorno-Karabakh war, now living in Armenia, are urging the government and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to allow the exhumation and transfer of their relatives’ remains from Artsakh.
At a protest organized by the “Pan-Armenian Front” movement, member Ruzan Stepanyan said, “You’ve started trading with Azerbaijan—oil, fuel—tomorrow it’ll be carrots and tomatoes. When will you solve these people’s issues? This isn’t about missing persons. You know exactly where they’re buried. You don’t even need search operations. If you can bring in fuel, why can’t you bring back these remains?” Aysor.am reports.
Stepanyan noted that despite repeated inquiries, state agencies continue to offer the same reply: that the issue is “regularly raised,” yet no action is taken.
“These are the people who stayed in Artsakh till the very end. Their sons, husbands, fathers fought to the last against Azerbaijani soldiers and were killed. We all remember the footage of people digging graves and burying their loved ones. They left Artsakh with the hope of returning soon,” Stepanyan told reporters.
She emphasized that, with the hope of return now extinguished and Prime Minister Pashinyan urging Armenians to let go of that vision, the need to retrieve the remains has become urgent—especially as videos emerge on Azerbaijani platforms showing Armenian graves being desecrated.
“People just want to move their relatives’ remains so they can mourn them properly. None of their letters or requests have received a response,” Stepanyan told Panorama.am .
Bella, a relative of one of the fallen, sent a letter to acting Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. The Foreign Ministry’s public affairs department replied that “the issue is regularly raised.”
This response has angered the families.
“Well excuse me, my grandpa also ‘regularly raises’ it—then what? No search is needed. They know the location. Why haven’t they done anything? If they can’t resolve humanitarian issues, then the authorities are unfit and should step down. These people are falling apart,” Stepanyan said.
As part of the initiative, the group plans to deliver a letter to the government proposing an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Pashinyan in the next 2–3 days, specifically with families whose relatives’ bodies remain in Artsakh.
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a full-scale attack on Artsakh, subjecting the region to intense shelling. The next day, the local authorities accepted a ceasefire proposal by the Russian peacekeeping mission and agreed to Baku’s terms, including the disbandment of the Artsakh Defense Army and the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh. The offensive resulted in 223 deaths, including 20 civilians, 6 of them minors. From September 24, forced displacement began, with over 100,000 people fleeing to Armenia. Only about 20 Armenians are believed to remain in Artsakh today.
