YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net) — The Union for the Protection of the Rights of Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh has issued a statement expressing grave concern over the closure of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Azerbaijan, warning it could severely damage the protection of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and hinder oversight of their conditions.
According to Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, the ICRC’s operations in the country ceased as of June 17. The refugee rights group stressed that the shutdown limits mechanisms for monitoring POW rights and communication, increasing the risk of both psychological and physical abuse.
Notably, the ICRC was the only organization with direct and personal access to prisoners. The ICRC’s last meeting with Armenian POWs took place on June 19, during which representatives held private conversations, delivered packages, and facilitated family communication, according to ICRC Azerbaijan’s spokesperson Ilaha Huseynova.
The organization emphasized that during visits, it assessed detention conditions and treatment, providing findings exclusively to relevant state authorities. With the office closure, responsibility for Armenian POWs effectively shifts entirely to Azerbaijani authorities, with humanitarian support becoming largely unfeasible.
The refugee rights group also highlighted Azerbaijan’s broader efforts to shut down international offices, including the UN Refugee Agency, which ceased operations on May 6, 2025, following official Azerbaijani notice.
The group issued the following appeals:
