Families and relatives of soldiers killed and buried in 2023 in Nagorno-Karabakh are demanding exhumation of the remains, holding a protest near the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex alongside the European Political Community summit.

“Our children’s and relatives’ graves remained in Karabakh after the 2023 military actions. We demand exhumation. We demand that their graves be relocated and that they be reburied in Armenia with proper military honors. The locations of the graves are clearly known. We ask for help,” a relative of one of the fallen servicemen said, according to Sputnik Armenia.

According to him, the issue concerns soldiers who were killed and buried within just two days, whose graves were not even fully arranged and are now located in territory under the control of the opposing side.

Protest participants held placards with messages including: “Those killed in Karabakh in 2023 must not be forgotten,” “We demand international intervention for exhumation and reburial,” “Exhumation is a right, not a concession,” and “Exhumation of the 2023 victims is a humanitarian imperative.”

The European Political Community summit is being held at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan.

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in 223 deaths, including civilians. Following the events, more than 100,000 Armenians were forcibly displaced to Armenia.