Artak Beglaryan on Armenians Whose Abduction Circumstances Have Been Officially Confirmed by Azerbaijan

In recent days, the issue of Armenian hostages (captives) held in Baku has become active again, with various information platforms and users spreading unverified lists of them, leading to additional suffering for the families of the hostages and a group of missing persons. This was stated by the former Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan.

Below are the names and statuses of 23 Armenians whose abduction (detention) circumstances have been officially confirmed by Azerbaijan. Naturally, this list is being discussed in the context of efforts to secure the release of the hostages.

Civilian Hostages:

1. Vigen Euljekchyan, born in 1979: Abducted and taken hostage on November 10, 2020, near Shushi city, along with his traveling companion Maral Najaryan. In 2021, Euljekchyan was sentenced to 20 years in prison on fabricated charges of terrorism and mercenarism.
2. David Davtyan, born in 1993: Abducted and taken hostage (with his associate Gevorg Sujyan) on November 11, 2020, while providing humanitarian assistance on the Berdzor-Shushi road. In 2021, Davtyan and Sujyan were sentenced to 15 years in prison on fabricated charges of espionage.
3. Gevorg Sujyan, born in 1989: Abducted and taken hostage (with his associate David Davtyan) on November 11, 2020, while providing humanitarian assistance on the Berdzor-Shushi road. In 2021, Sujyan and Davtyan were sentenced to 15 years in prison on fabricated charges of espionage.
4. Vagif Khachatryan, born in 1955: Abducted and taken hostage on July 29, 2023, near an illegal Azerbaijani checkpoint by the Lachin corridor while being evacuated by ambulance on Red Cross orders. In 2023, Khachatryan was sentenced to 15 years in prison on fabricated charges of "committing genocide" in the 1990s.
5. Rashid Beglaryan, born in 1962: Abducted on August 1, 2023, during the Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh, when he got lost near the village of Aghavno. In 2024, he was sentenced to prison on fabricated charges of "committing military crimes" in the 1990s.
6. Madat Babayan, born in 1952: Abducted during the Azerbaijani aggression in September 2023, in the village of Getavan in the Martakert region. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on charges of "committing genocide."

Military Hostages:

7. Alyosha Khosrovyan, born around 1968: Abducted on October 3, 2020, during the Azerbaijani aggression while participating in self-defense efforts in Artsakh. In 2021, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on fabricated charges of "torturing Azerbaijani prisoners" during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in the 1990s.
8. Ludvig Mkrtchyan, born around 1970: Abducted on October 20, 2020, during the Azerbaijani aggression while participating in self-defense efforts in Artsakh. In 2021, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on fabricated charges of "torturing Azerbaijani prisoners" during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in the 1990s.
9. David Alaverdyan, born around 1988: Abducted during the Azerbaijani aggression on September 19-20, 2023, while participating in self-defense efforts in Artsakh. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on charges of "terrorism" and related bogus charges.
10. Levon Balayan, born around 1978: Abducted during the Azerbaijani aggression on September 19-20, 2023, while participating in self-defense efforts in Artsakh. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on charges of "terrorism" and related bogus charges.
11. Vasili Beglaryan, born around 1993: Abducted during the Azerbaijani aggression on September 19-20, 2023, while participating in self-defense efforts in Artsakh. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on charges of "terrorism" and related bogus charges.
12. Erik Ghazaryan, born around 1983: Abducted during the Azerbaijani aggression on September 19-20, 2023, while participating in self-defense efforts in Artsakh. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on charges of "terrorism" and related bogus charges.
13. Garik Martirosyan, born around 1972: Abducted during the Azerbaijani aggression on September 19-20, 2023, while participating in self-defense efforts in Artsakh. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on charges of "terrorism" and related bogus charges.
14. Melikset Pashayev, born around 1971: Abducted during the Azerbaijani aggression on September 19-20, 2023, while participating in self-defense efforts in Artsakh. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on charges of "terrorism" and related bogus charges.
15. Gurgen Stepanyan, born around 1987: Abducted during the Azerbaijani aggression on September 19-20, 2023, while participating in self-defense efforts in Artsakh. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on charges of "terrorism" and related bogus charges.

Political Prisoners:

16. Ruben Vardanyan, born in 1968: Former State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh (November 2022 to February 2023), entrepreneur, philanthropist, co-founder of the "Aurora" humanitarian initiative. Vardanyan was abducted on September 27, 2023, near the illegal Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor while being relocated to Armenia with other civilian residents of Artsakh. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on unfounded and false charges.
17. David Manukyan, born in 1965: Retired general and former deputy commander of the Artsakh Defense Army. Abducted on September 27, 2023, near the illegal Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor alongside Ruben Vardanyan. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on unfounded and false charges.
18. David Babayan, born in 1973: Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (2021-2023). Aware of being under Azerbaijani wanted status and under clear threats, Babayan voluntarily surrendered on September 28, 2023. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on unfounded and false charges.
19. Levon Mnatsakanyan, born in 1955: Retired general and former Minister of Defense of Artsakh – Commander of the army from 2015-2018. Mnatsakanyan was abducted on September 29, 2023, near the illegal Azerbaijani checkpoint while being relocated to Armenia with other civilians from Artsakh. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on unfounded and false charges.
20. Arkadi Ghukasian, born in 1957: Former President of the Republic of Artsakh (1997-2007). Abducted on October 3, 2023, in Stepanakert. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on unfounded and false charges.
21. Bako Sahakyan, born in 1960: Former President of the Republic of Artsakh (2007-2020). Abducted on October 3, 2023, in Stepanakert. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on unfounded and false charges.
22. Arayik Harutyunyan, born in 1973: Former President of the Republic of Artsakh (2020-2023). Abducted on October 3, 2023, in Stepanakert. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on unfounded and false charges.
23. David Ishkhanyan, born in 1968: Former President of the National Assembly of Artsakh (August 2023 to May 2025). Abducted on October 3, 2023, in Stepanakert. He is currently undergoing a fabricated trial on unfounded and false charges.

Summary:

• Numbers: We have 23 confirmed Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan, 6 of whom are civilian captives, 9 are military captives, and 8 are political prisoners. Out of the 23, 7 are already sentenced on fabricated charges and are serving their baseless "punishment," while 16 are currently in the process of a fabricated trial with various unfounded charges.
• Terminology: In fact, both "hostage" and "captive" terms can be applied to all. They are hostages, as the Aliyev regime demands various concessions from Armenia and possible mediators for their release, and they are captives, as they have all been detained because of the conflict under the pretense of being on the opposing side. However, as I mentioned above, they are divided into three status subgroups: civilian captives, military captives, and political prisoners.
• Other statuses: Due to Azerbaijani aggressions from 2020-2023, we have around 80 forcibly disappeared persons, whose abduction circumstances are substantiated by undeniable evidence, yet Azerbaijan does not confirm their abduction. We also have over 200 missing persons, the exact number of which I do not know, as state bodies, the Red Cross, and the human rights community provide different figures. These numbers do not include those missing or forcibly disappeared in the 1990s. Therefore, I urge everyone to consider the above list and terminological features in their publications.