Baku: There Was a Time When They Had Come to Terms with Everything. Mel's Brother Discusses His Return from Captivity

Mel Amdardaryan, who spent 11 months separated from his homeland and found himself in captivity, returned home about two weeks ago along with 4 other prisoners of war. In an interview with "Pastinfo," his brother, Tigran Amdardaryan, reported that Mel has no complaints.

The good news is that Mel has decided to continue his education. He has re-enrolled in the 5th year of the Agricultural University of Yerevan to participate in a distance learning program. Currently, Mel is with his parents and the relatives of his friends who are still in captivity. In addition to his studies, Amdardaryan plans to help his parents and work with his father at their family construction company.

“His health is normal; it's sufficient. He has no complaints. He underwent an examination at a military hospital, and the results showed that Mel has no serious health issues,” Tigran noted.

After returning to Yerevan on October 19, Mel stayed for one day at a military hospital and was home the following day. Unfortunately, the Amdardaryan family received the sad news of their beloved grandmother's passing, who had health problems.

“Mel's return and my grandmother's death happened within the same time frame. Just an hour or two apart, my grandmother passed away. We had no idea that she had not made a deal with God that she would give her life for Mel's return,” Tigran recounted.

Mel Amdardaryan has yet to speak publicly about the day of his capture and the difficult 11 months spent in Baku. After his return, he provided testimony to the Investigative Committee and the Military Police. There is hope that in time, the results will become apparent, and those responsible will be found and punished.

“The relevant authorities that were responsible should have addressed these issues. Mel will not speak publicly until the remaining individuals have been returned. I sensed that he returned with a stable psychological state; there was no emotional distress. He understands what he will do,” Tigran emphasized.

Mel Amdardaryan was sentenced to 6 years in prison on July 23. After his return, he shared with his brother that they had come to terms, although hope had not diminished.

“According to him, there was a time when they had come to terms with everything and had postponed all their plans and projects for the distant future, but they thought that we wouldn’t be idle here; we would help them return sooner,” Tigran said.

He shared with his brother the struggles and experiences of the past 11 months in Yerevan. They will continue to fight until the last prisoner of war returns home.

“Mel will continue the fight with my help and encouragement. He knows almost everything about the past 11 months. He is filled with more enthusiasm and desire to continue what we started and will fight until the last person is brought home,” Tigran concluded.

It is worth noting that on October 19, Azerbaijan transferred 5 more captives to Armenia. The 5 prisoners who returned from Baku were among those captured on December 13, 2020. Three of them—Rafik Karapetyan, Mel Amdardaryan, and Sedrak Sogomonian—were sentenced to 6 years in prison on July 23. Correspondingly, Zhora Manukyan and Hovsep Manukyan were also sentenced to 6 years in prison on July 22 and July 29, respectively.