The International and Comparative Law Center (ICLaw) and the “Protection of Rights Without Borders” (PWF) NGO have jointly submitted a report to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances concerning Armenia’s compliance with its obligations under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

The report addresses the criminalization of enforced disappearance in Armenia and the legal safeguards established to prevent it. It notes that Article 451 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia criminalizes enforced disappearance, and that it is also provided for as a constituent act of crimes against humanity and war crimes. At the same time, the report points to a number of legislative gaps, including the possibility of granting amnesty or pardon to persons who have committed enforced disappearance, except in cases where the act is qualified as a crime against humanity or a war crime.

The report also addresses the Law “On Missing Persons in Conditions and Situations Created as a Result of Military Operations,” adopted in March 2026. It notes that the law is an important step, as it regulates a number of issues related to the search for missing persons, the rights of their families, and the establishment of a unified register. However, according to the report, the law applies only to persons who went missing during an armed conflict or in circumstances related to it. Addressing enforced disappearances that occurred during the military operations of 2020 and 2023, the report notes that investigations into them have been conducted as war crimes and/or crimes against humanity. At the same time, dozens of documented cases of Armenian servicemen forcibly disappearing while in Azerbaijani custody have been recorded.

The report also separately addresses the initial peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It notes that the document provides for addressing the fate of persons who went missing or were forcibly disappeared during the armed conflict, including through the exchange of information, searches, and the return of remains. “Although the inclusion of this issue in the peace process is an important step toward ensuring the continued search for missing persons and efforts to establish their fate and whereabouts, no tangible progress has been recorded beyond the announcement of the agreement,” states the report. The authors of the report propose not waiting for the peace agreement to enter into force and immediately activating mechanisms for searching for missing persons and determining their fate, with the participation of an independent and neutral international party.