April 8, 2021 - 18:56 AMT
Parents of missing soldiers rally in Yerevan, Baku

Parents whose sons went missing during the Second Karabakh War staged a rally in Yerevan and Baku, the capitals of Armenia and Azerbaijan, on Thursday, April 8.

Family members gathered in front of the Defense Ministry in Yerevan, blocking the entrance to the facility. Parents feared clashes amid a large police presence and urged people to join their protest.

"We want our children back but they told us they will use force if the entrance is not unblocked," one of the parents said. "They outnumber us, but we are ready for extreme measures."

In Baku, meanwhile, parents gathered in front of the president's office to demand a more vigorous search mission and more attention to their problems. They called on the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia to help discover the fate of their children.

According to information provided by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, 64 soldiers were declared missing as of January 2021 though some bodies have been recovered since. The Armenian side has not provided information about the missing.