“No one called us.” Relatives of returned prisoners of war are just going to see them

The 5 prisoners of war who returned to their homeland are part of a group of 62 servicemen from the Shirak region and are currently at the Central Clinical Hospital (Muratsan) in Yerevan. Armen, the nephew of 44-year-old Karen Vardanyan, one of the returned prisoners, told Sputnik Armenia that they are on their way from Shirak to Yerevan.

“We didn’t even know that a plane was coming; when we found out, we didn’t know our brother was there. No one called us. We just learned about it and are going to see him. We are very happy. God bless everyone; let all of them come back,” he said.

Mariam, the wife of 47-year-old Seyran Matevosyan, was also on her way to the Muratsan hospital. She mentioned that she managed to have a short phone conversation with her husband.
“We talked a bit, but he didn’t say much. He seemed fine. The last time we spoke was on December 13; we hadn’t heard any news for five days, and then we found out he was a prisoner,” she said.

Johnik, the brother of 47-year-old Edik Harutyunyan, also had not yet seen his brother and was on his way to the hospital.

None of the relatives were contacted beforehand, during the flight, or even after landing by official authorities regarding their loved ones' return. They learned about the return of their relatives from the media, from friends, and through widespread chatter.

It should be noted that according to Azerbaijani media, criminal cases have been initiated against 62 Armenian servicemen. However, the relatives of the returned prisoners are unaware whether there is a criminal case against their loved ones and what charges it might involve.

Recall that the 5 returning prisoners are from the group of 62 servicemen from the Shirak region. Their names are Edik Harutyunyan, Seyran Matevosyan, Karen Vardanyan, Armen Nazramadyan, and Ashot Varosyan. Earlier, it was reported that criminal cases had been initiated against the 62 soldiers in Azerbaijan. The criminal charges have complicated the process of returning the servicemen, but the fact that the first group has already arrived in Armenia indicates that progress is being made. On December 16, 2020, it was announced that 62 servicemen had been captured from several combat positions near the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd, all of them from the Shirak region. Today, 5 of them have returned home, while 3 have spoken with their parents by phone.