Society News 20 October 2026 23:37 (UTC +04:00)
Photo: Agency for State Support to NGOs
BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 20. A group of Azerbaijani families of missing persons held a protest outside the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, on October 20. Organized by the “Garabagh Missing Families” Public Union, the demonstration took place at Place du Luxembourg, Azerbaijan’s Agency for State Support to NGOs reported.
A protest statement read out during the demonstration highlighted the plight of families who have been waiting for more than 30 years for news of their missing relatives. It said that 4,010 Azerbaijanis, including 71 children, 288 women and 319 elderly people, went missing during Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories.
The statement noted that 32 mass graves had been discovered in liberated Azerbaijani territories, with 328 missing persons identified through forensic genetic examinations and the remains of 273 handed over to their families. It called on Armenia to disclose relevant information and archives to help establish the fate of those still missing.
The families also appealed to the European Parliament, urging greater attention to the issue and stressing that the right to know the truth is a universal human right. Recalling the case of Elmira Dadashova, who died without learning the fate of her missing son after travelling to Geneva to raise the issue, they asked EU institutions: “How many more mothers must pass away without knowing the fate of their children?”
A special installation featuring photographs and clothing of missing Azerbaijanis, along with letters bearing messages from their perspective, was displayed during the protest. Visitors expressed solidarity by writing messages of support, tying commemorative ribbons and laying flowers.
Konul Behbudova, chair of the “Garabagh Missing Families” Public Union, called on Armenia to disclose information about mass grave locations and help clarify the fate of missing Azerbaijanis, stressing that no family should have to wait forever for answers.
On August 30 last year, the “Garabagh Missing Families” Public Union held a protest in Geneva in front of the “Palace of Nations,” where the UN’s European office is located, at the symbolic “Broken Chair” monument, which represents the cries of people suffering from all forms of armed violence. During the protest, personal belongings and documents of missing Azerbaijanis were displayed, and an original composition of slogans was presented, narrating their life stories and addressing humanity in their voice.
The union won the NGO Support Agency’s 2026 grant competition with its “Echoes of Absence” project.
Meanwhile, Gilavar Photo Club of Azerbaijan organized exhibitions in seven European cities — Geneva, Brno, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Salzburg and Rome — as part of the “A Mine-Free World” campaign, highlighting mine threats in liberated Azerbaijani territories, including residential areas, cemeteries and sites near mass graves.
