23 Prisoners of War May Return Due to Armenian Concessions, Says Siranush Sahakyan

In December 2023, Armenia conducted a prisoner exchange, releasing two Azerbaijani saboteurs in exchange for 32 Armenian servicemen held in Azerbaijan. According to the Azerbaijani APA agency, those returned to Armenia were captured during the Hadrut operation in December 2020, while six others were detained from different parts of the border. They have spent three years in Azerbaijani prisons. Azerbaijani authorities have not handed over high-ranking officials from Artsakh captured in September, and there appears to be no movement on their status. Perhaps official Yerevan is no longer demanding their return?

Siranush Sahakyan, the representative of Armenian prisoners of war at the European Court of Human Rights, stated in an interview with “Hraparak”: “First, let me say that at this moment, 23 Armenians are officially confirmed to be in Azerbaijan. Among them are civilians, military personnel, and former leaders. We also have prisoners of war from the 2020 conflict. There are also individuals whose fates remain unknown. Our research has revealed that there are cases of captivity associated with the 44-day war in 2020, involving about 80 Armenians, but Azerbaijan does not acknowledge their captivity and thus does not take a position on their fates. There are also missing persons, but currently, the repatriation of the 23 individuals is under discussion. For the others, we only know that they were in captivity early on and were alive, but we cannot ascertain what fate has befallen them three or four years later, whether they are alive or deceased.”

What is the current status of the repatriation of the 23 Armenian prisoners of war? Siranush Sahakyan responds: “During political discussions and negotiations, this issue is naturally raised. This matter could be resolved through Armenian concessions; this is Azerbaijan’s stance. This statement further confirms that the factor of Armenian prisoners of war is being used for political pressure. It is still early to discuss judicial resolutions, and certain phases must be overcome.”

What is the current status of high-ranking military-political leaders? Is there any information about them? “Their families are partially informed about their conditions, but communication is very brief, and their health and psychological state do not become subjects of discussion,” she concluded.