Аrtsakh ombudsmen appeal to Vance on captives, missing

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) human rights defenders Artak Beglaryan and Gegham Stepanyan have sent a joint letter to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, drawing attention not only to Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan but also to the urgent need to clarify the fate of missing persons, Beglaryan reported on Facebook.

They stressed that lasting peace cannot be built on “unknown fates.”

“We welcome your diplomatic mission to our region. This visit comes at a decisive moment in the peace process endorsed by President Trump. As human rights defenders of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), we emphasize that the success of Trump’s Route to International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) and the outcomes of the August 2025 Washington summit largely depend on healing deep humanitarian wounds,” the letter says.

It notes that while political agreements are being initialed, hundreds of Armenian families whose relatives went missing during Azerbaijani aggressions in 2023, 2020, and the 1990s remain trapped in agonizing uncertainty.

“The persistent lack of cooperation by Baku on the issue of missing persons is not secondary; it is a major source of regional tension and a grave violation of the fundamental human right to know the fate of loved ones.

Sustainable peace cannot be built on ‘unknown fates.’ We ask the U.S. administration to assume a leading role in the following:

• Establish a neutral, data-driven mechanism to determine the whereabouts and identify those missing during hostilities and the fuel depot explosion in Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Ensure full transparency and Azerbaijani cooperation in searching for and repatriating persons or their remains.
• Commit clearly that clarifying the fate of the missing will be treated as a necessary condition for the full implementation of regional projects.

The need for clarity on the missing is compounded by the urgent issue of 19 Armenians still imprisoned in Baku. Their continued detention, accompanied by sham trials and life sentences handed down this month, is a clear humanitarian obstacle that must be removed.

Securing their freedom is the simplest and most effective step the United States can take to prove that this peace process is grounded in justice, not mere expediency. This is the most direct and shortest path to building public trust, so that the Armenian people can believe in the peace agenda. Without these fundamental humanitarian steps, regional infrastructure projects will lack the social foundation required for long-term stability,” the letter states.

The authors add that President Trump has repeatedly said true stability is built through strength and clear moral commitments, especially when protecting vulnerable populations and religious heritage.

“Your presence in the South Caucasus sends a powerful signal that the United States intends to lead this mediation toward a final, just, and dignified peace. We urge you to make the resolution of the missing persons issue and the release of all Armenian captives central topics of your discussions in Baku,” the letter concludes.

Former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Life sentences were also handed down to former Defense Army commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, his deputy Davit Manukyan, former foreign minister Davit Babayan, and parliament speaker Davit Ishkhanyan. Former presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan received 20-year sentences. Madat Babayan and Melikset Pashayаn were sentenced to 19 years, Garik Martirosyan to 18, Davit Alahverdyan and Levon Balayan to 16, and Erik Ghazaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan, and Vasil Beglaryan to 15 years.