ICLaw brings Artsakh families’ silenced grief to the UN
The International and Comparative Law Center (ICLaw), in partnership with the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC) and others, has submitted a communication to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief regarding serious and ongoing violations of the religious rights and freedoms of Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s military attack in September 2023.
The communication includes 37 confirmed cases indicating that displaced Armenians have been deprived of the opportunity to perform their fundamental religious rites. According to Armenian religious and cultural traditions, family members visit the graves of their relatives on the seventh and 40th days after burial and once a year thereafter. Due to ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, Armenians have been denied the ability to exercise these practices. The desecration of Armenian graves, which may occur at any time, could further deprive families of the opportunity to mourn relatives with dignity and preserve important religious customs.
“This is not only about the inability to visit cemeteries or burial sites, but about the ongoing disruption of religious obligations. Obstructing funeral ceremonies, dignified exhumations and reburials constitutes a serious violation of freedom of religion or belief, with deep and lasting human consequences,” said ICLaw president Siranush Sahakyan.
For followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, funeral rites and burial ceremonies are not only cultural traditions but also an essential part of faith. Preventing the performance of these rites disrupts the spiritual life of families and causes continuous suffering.
The violations documented in the communication occurred following the large-scale military attack launched by Azerbaijan on Sept. 19, 2023, which resulted in civilian casualties and the forced displacement of more than 120,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. Since then, displaced families have been unable to return, recover remains or ensure the dignified reburial of their deceased relatives.
The International and Comparative Law Center also emphasized in the communication that affected families lack effective domestic remedies. In the absence of diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan, effective cooperation mechanisms, including through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), international procedures remain the only available avenue for legal protection. Previous attempts to address these issues through humanitarian intermediaries and interstate communication channels have not yielded significant results.
“This is a matter of human dignity,” said Sahakyan. “Nothing should prevent families from burying, mourning and honoring their loved ones with dignity in accordance with their religion. These rights must be protected.”
