Taron Ordered to Release Captured Azerbaijanis and Ended Up Captured Himself; Tortured to Death in Baku

During the battles that took place on November 14-16 as a result of Azerbaijani aggression, Taron Sahakyan participated and fought valiantly. He was an elder lieutenant from the Jermuk battalion. According to "Factinfo," Taron was born in the Tavush region, from Voskepar, and later moved to the village of Koghb. His father was a military officer, and Taron was the second child in the family. He worked in law enforcement before relocating to Russia. He returned to his homeland and had recently joined the army in Jermuk.

Taron was married and had one son; he had recently moved to live in Jermuk. Taron Sahakyan's relatives told "Factinfo" that they knew he was in captivity, but this morning, the Sahakyan family learned that Taron's body had been brought back to Armenia as a fallen soldier. His remains were transported to Yerevan by Muradov by plane yesterday. The family does not know specific details about how Taron ended up in Baku but is aware that he was captured and killed by the enemy. They say Taron considered his homeland to be the most valuable and could not submit to the enemy's commands.

Arsen Agababyan, a resident of Koghb, also recounted in an interview with "Factinfo" that he had seen Taron a year ago and recently learned that Taron was back in Armenia, serving his country. “He was a decent guy, a good person—everyone knew that. He was very active and endowed with human qualities. He was a fighter, a protector, the kind of person who wouldn’t surrender, to an astonishing degree,” he said.

The news of returning Taron's remains from Baku confirmed the information that Taron fought until the very end, then was captured. Although details of the incident are unclear, there are indications that during an Azerbaijani provocation, the Armenian side captured Azerbaijani servicemen and later received orders to release them. Taron, who had taken the captives, released them, and then ended up being captured himself.

“According to the information we received, our side captured Azerbaijanis. Orders were given to take the Azerbaijani captives back, and the boys did so, ending up being captured themselves. According to our information, Taron's remains are in a horribly tortured state. I don't know which sheep's order it was that led to the release of the Azerbaijani captives while these boys ended up captured,” Agababyan said. “According to what we know, he was killed brutally, even beaten. I have seen a photo, and I still can't recover from it.” Taron lived in Jermuk, while simultaneously defending his homeland and family. By nature, he fought until the very end.

As already reported, on November 17, through the mediation of the deputy commander of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, a special flight transported the body of an Armenian Armed Forces serviceman who participated in the battles following the Azerbaijani provocation on November 16 from Baku to Yerevan. The serviceman was identified as 1990-born Senior Lieutenant Taron Jivani Sahakyan.

It should be noted that later Taron Sahakyan's brother, Roman, refuted media reports claiming that his brother was captured, and that the body was tortured and unrecognizable. Roman Sahakyan stated, “My brother died from a shell explosion on November 16. I was present at the forensic examination, and there were no signs of torture; his injuries were solely from the explosion. They are writing senseless materials and spreading meaningless things; my mother didn't know yet, and now they have made a big story out of it. My brother was not tortured; he died in Jermuk from a shell explosion.”