God Has Given Me Life Three Times: 19-Year-Old Erik Khachatryan Returns to Armenia After 8 Months in Captivity

19-year-old Erik Khachatryan has returned to Armenia after spending 8 months in Azerbaijani captivity. Erik's mother, Liana Aloyan, shared with Аrmtimes.com that she learned of her son's return by chance when a friend called to inform her that she saw Erik in a photo posted on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Facebook page.

Erik was taken captive by Azerbaijani soldiers when he was just 18 years old. He turned 19 in an Azerbaijani prison on January 15. Liana, who had been waiting months for her son's return, went on pilgrimage every Saturday, hoping that Erik would one day come home. On the day of Erik's return, she had gone on yet another pilgrimage to pray for all Armenian captives and the missing to be found and return to Armenia.

“During these months, we went on pilgrimages every week with our priest. On June 12, we visited Tsaghkavank in Aragatsotn province, climbed up on foot, and held a mass. I asked God that all our captives and missing persons would be found and returned to their parents. I returned home, and an hour later I received a call saying there was a photo of Erik on Mr. Pashinyan's Facebook page; that was when I learned my son was coming back. My hope has always been God that he would return home,” said Liana.

As soon as he entered Armenian territory, Erik called his mother to inform her that he was being taken to the hospital for a medical examination. It was during this examination that it was discovered that a bullet had remained lodged in Erik's back due to a gunshot wound during the war, and he had not received any medical help while in Azerbaijan. The 19-year-old is now in a hospital in Yerevan, where doctors have informed the family that he requires surgical intervention and must remain in the hospital for an indefinite period.

“The bullet is still in his body because of the gunshot wound. His right leg is limping; doctors need to determine why he is injured in the back, but his leg is limping. We visited him the first day, and yesterday we were in the hospital yard all day; now we are going back to him. He tells us that when he was captured, he felt fine, but then he started feeling unwell,” his mother said, adding that Erik now says, “God has given me life three times: once when I was born, the second time when a bullet pierced my military helmet, and the third time after I returned home from Azerbaijani captivity.”

Now, on his native soil, Erik Khachatryan has two goals. He has told his parents that he wants to erect a memorial stone in the village of Khachpar, Ararat province, in memory of those who fell during the 44-day war. The other goal is to renovate one of the holy places in his birthplace, Vardenis, Gegharkunik province. “He has seen a dream; I told him, ‘When the sun comes, we will renovate the sanctuary.’ Now he wants to make that happen,” Liana Aloyan added.

Erik Khachatryan had served in the military for two months when the war started. During that time, he was even awarded, but his parents were unable to retrieve his certificate of appreciation from the military commissariat due to the war. During the 44-day war, 18-year-old Erik defended the Jabrail sector and later participated in combat actions in Hadrut, having last communicated with his family on October 12. His family learned of his capture through a Facebook post when the Azerbaijani side released a video that included Erik. After seeing the video and recognizing Erik, they sought help from the Red Cross.

“They lived in one house for 43 days, they were besieged in the village of Vank of the Hadrut region. After 43 days, the door of that house opened in the morning, and Erik and the others realized they had been rescued because there was no hope of surviving if they remained in that house—they had no food or water. They thanked the Azerbaijani soldiers who captured them for not shooting them but instead taking them captive. After contacting the Red Cross, we sent him letters, along with family photographs. Once, he received the pictures, another time he did not. We also recorded a video within 2 minutes and sent it through the Red Cross. He was also given the opportunity to speak with us via video; he didn't want to at first, but he did the second time. We wrote as many letters as we wanted, and they all reached the kids. Erik took our letters with him when he left captivity,” Liana recounted.

During the 8 months of captivity, Erik constantly had visions of returning to Armenia. His mother said that while he was surrounded in Vank, Erik heard the church bells during each prayer. He now says that God will give strength for all captured boys like him to return to Armenia. He states that his friends and brothers in the war have won, and now they must live in place of all the fallen soldiers and complete the work they left unfinished. According to his mother, Erik has also declared that he will never leave Armenia again. “My brothers have fallen; I have to live in Armenia,” he said.