Vigen Euljekchyan Discusses Suicide in Baku Prison: His Wife Shares Phone Conversation

Vigen Euljekchyan, a Lebanese-Armenian, who has been held in a Baku prison for four years, is contemplating suicide. This was revealed by Vigen's wife, Linda Euljekchyan, during an interview with "Haylur," where she shared a phone conversation with her husband from two weeks ago.

"We need him, we die and resurrect a thousand times a day. During our last phone call, Vigen asked what was happening outside. He wanted to know if Armenia has abandoned us because the TV here says it has, and he was yelling into the phone. I told him that Armenia demands his return and hasn’t abandoned him, so they shouldn’t be deceived," Linda recounts.

Linda is unsure if her husband heard her responses, as the connection was lost, but she is certain that his mental state is grave. The Red Cross visited him the following day and reported to Linda that Vigen might have had a nervous breakdown.

“The Red Cross told me that they couldn’t make contact with Vigen, he did not want to meet, and his condition was not good. The last time I spoke with him, he seemed very anxious, saying he could no longer endure it, he was tired, and he wanted to commit suicide,” she shares.

According to her, Vigen mentioned that there are 23 Armenians in the same prison, but he feels isolated in his cell. Linda wants to believe that she told Vigen the truth about Armenian authorities doing everything possible for the return of Armenian prisoners.

She has called upon the Lebanese government to fight for Euljekchyan's freedom. “I have approached the Lebanese government and presented the situation to Member of Parliament Paul Yakubyan. He promised to raise the issue of Vigen’s return in the National Assembly,” she stated.

It is worth noting that on June 14, 2021, a court in Baku sentenced Vigen Euljekchyan to 20 years of imprisonment. Recently, rumors circulated on social media that Vigen had been tortured to death in a Baku prison. Following this, Linda wrote an open letter to the leaders of the UN, EU, Council of Europe, OSCE, and the presidents of the United States, France, Germany, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and human rights organizations.

She urged international human rights bodies and world leaders to verify whether her husband was alive or dead. Vigen Euljekchyan's family had not heard from him since January 27, 2023.

Vigen Euljekchyan has been charged in Azerbaijan with "mercenary activity," "terrorism," and "illegal crossing of the state border of Azerbaijan." It is also known that Euljekchyan obtained Armenian citizenship in 2015, moved first to Yerevan and then to Shushi in 2019. He and Maral Najaryan were captured by Azerbaijani soldiers on November 10, 2020. Later, Najaryan was released through the mediation of the Russian side.