Even after weapons become silent, suffering continues - Mr. Thierry  Ribaux

ArmInfo. Even after weapons become silent, suffering continues, Mr. Thierry Ribaux, Head of the  ICRC Delegation to Armenia, stated at the photo exhibition The Silent Presence, on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, in Armavir, Armenia. 

Photographer Areg Balayan in his works conveyed the experiences and  expectations of those who do not stop waiting and hope for the return  of their loved ones. 19 works represent the suffering of 18 families  who never stop waiting and hoping. 

"This day has been celebrated around the world for decades. It is a  reminder of loss, pain and suffering.  That suffering continues even  when weapons fall silent. For the families of the missing, the day of  the victims of the forcibly disappeared every day, and not just  August 30. Each photo here tells about a specific family, where every  day, and not just on August 30, they ask the question - where is my  father, where is my husband, where is my son, where is my brother or  sister?" Mr Ribaux said at the opening of the exhibition. 

He added that families have a vital need and the right to know about  the fate of a relative, and the duty of the authorities to help  families in this matter. "Issues related to clarifying the fate of  the missing reach the peak of cynicism when there are attempts to  politicize it," the head of the ICRC delegation stressed.

In turn, the Armenian Red Cross Society noted that August 30 is  another opportunity to draw society's attention to the problems of  the families of the missing, to support them in their endless worries  and expectations.

Zara Amatuni, Communication and Prevention Program Manager, ICRC  Armenia office said that the ICRC addresses the issue of missing  persons, keeps families at the center of attention, and offers  technical assistance to the relevant authorities. She added that we  are talking about many years of work, since there are missing persons  both from the 1990s and as a result of the escalation of the conflict  in 2020. "Last year, our Organization conducted a needs assessment of  the families of the missing in 2020. This allowed us to understand  the problems of families, and laid the foundation for the  implementation of the Facilitate the Needs program from the end of  last year," Amatuni emphasized, adding that a similar program  previously implemented for families of missing persons in the 1990s.

"Different types of work are outlined, covering various areas -  psychological, social, economic, legal, etc.  The program was  launched in Armavir, and it was the families of the missing from  Armavir who took the initiative to organize a public event on the day  of the missing, to present our expectations of the public.Together  with colleagues from the Armenian Red Cross Society, based on the  idea of families, we initiated an exhibition.The author of the  photographs is Areg Balayan.This is an attempt through photographs to  visually convey the experiences and suffering of families during  these three years," Amatuni added.

In response to ArmInfo's clarification on how many people are  considered missing as a result of the 44-day war, Amatuni noted that  according to the latest ICRC data collected on the basis of family  applications, we are talking about 298 missing in 2020-22, as a  result of the aggravation of the conflict.

"These are the data registered in Armenia. In general, most of the  missing persons are from Armenia. In total, from the 1990s to the  present day, there are about 700 such people," the ICRC  representative added, noting that they are compiling a questionnaire  for each missing person, in which presents both detailed data about  the person and DNA samples of his loved ones.

"The ICRC is working closely with the newly established commission on  hostages and missing persons.  We are also working to prevent future  enforced disappearances. For example, we are talking about  participating in medical examinations, sharing experience, building  capacity. trying to identify gaps and offer our services to fill  them, in order to stop or minimize enforced disappearances, if such a  situation occurs, and also to facilitate the identification of  bodies," Ms Amatuni said.  To clarify whether the ICRC has data on  the number of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Baku,  Amatuni recalled that the Organization does not publish any  information on the number of prisoners, and can only confirm the  process associated with these persons, establishing a connection with  families.  "It's a sequential process"