48 Days in Captivity: The Story of Valeri Poghosyan

Valeri Poghosyan, a 66-year-old resident of the village of Avetaranots in the Askeran region, was captured by Azerbaijani soldiers on October 27. He did not manage to leave the village.

Valeri Poghosyan was among the 44 prisoners who returned to Armenia on December 14, 2020. He had been in captivity for 48 days, as reported by Hetq.am.

The village of Avetaranots fell completely under Azerbaijani control on October 27, 2020. There were 8 civilians left in the village, of whom 7 were taken captive from various parts of the village, one managed to escape, and another, Boris Baghdasaryan, was killed and beheaded. His remains were evacuated on April 1 with the help of Russian peacekeepers and village headman Smbat Madatyan. Three prisoners have returned, one died in captivity, and the fate of two remains unknown.

On October 27, intense battles occurred in the village, and residents quickly fled Avetaranots within a few hours. Valeri saw the body of Boris Baghdasaryan in the streets and realized that Azerbaijanis were already in the village. He decided to escape through the village's forests to get out, as he saw no one else was left. He recounts, 'I was going, looking back to see that no one was behind me, and then I looked back one moment and saw someone standing with a machine gun behind me. I knew it was over, I turned around to flee, I ran about 5 meters, saw there were several people in front of me, there was no place left to escape. I said, fine, shoot me if you want; it’s better to be shot than to fall into captivity,'” he shares. At that moment, Valeri was unarmed.

He explains that there was also an Azerbaijani base located near the village. The Azerbaijanis said they would not harm women, the elderly, or children, so Valeri had to go with them. That night, he was taken to the forest, where he also saw fellow villagers Maxim Grigoryan and Karen Petrosyan. Their eyes were bound, and he mentions that he could barely talk to his fellow villagers as the Azerbaijanis warned that if they spoke in Armenian, they would be shot.

Valeri lived in Baku until 1988, speaks Azerbaijani well, and communicated with the Azerbaijanis in their language. The next day, when they were taken to get in a vehicle, Karen’s legs were spasming, and he could not walk; Valeri and Maxim carried him. The Azerbaijanis mentioned they wanted to kill Karen because he could not walk, and they were moving slowly, so Valeri pleaded for them not to shoot.

Near an Azerbaijani “Ural” vehicle, they encountered other fellow villagers: Sedrak Petrosyan, Areg Shaghgeldyan, and her husband Eduard Shaghgeldyan. Although their eyes were closed, he recognized them by their voices. They were continuously beaten in the vehicle, and he states they were kicked as if being shot.

They spent about ten days in one prison, where they were interrogated incessantly. He explains that there were no beds or chairs, just an empty cell with a camera. They slept on the floor. Valeri does not know where this place was, as all their eyes were covered during the entire time; he assumes it was an NSS prison and was not far from Baku, as they didn't travel long when moved to the Baku prison. He was held there for about a month.

In the Baku prison, Valeri, Maxim, and Karen were in the same cell; the second day, Karen was taken away, and Valeri never saw him again. A few days later, Maxim was taken away as well. Since then, Valeri has had no news from any of his fellow villagers. He recounts that they were not tortured much in Baku, mostly they were beaten in the first prison.

Valeri was told to insult Armenians, which he refused, and one of the Azerbaijanis kept hitting him on the head. On December 14, they came and told him he was being released; just a day before that, he had been alone in the cell. Another fellow villager, Eduard Shaghgeldyan, died in captivity, while his wife, Areg Shaghgeldyan, was released. Valeri did not believe he was being freed; he thought he would remain in captivity longer.