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A FORMER ARMENIAN HOSTAGE HAS DIED - URGENT: TO PROTECT THE SURVIVING HOSTAGES WHO HAVE BEEN RELEASED (LIBERTAS)

  • 3 days ago
  • 2 min read

LIBERTAS* deeply regrets to announce the death of former Armenian prisoner of war Karlen Stepanyan, who passed away from cancer on 10 June. Together with its Armenian partners, the ARPI** NGO of Vanadzor and the Seda Ghazarian Mental Health Centre (INTRA***) in Yerevan, LIBERTAS mourns his loss after a long and difficult battle with illness.

 


He was 52 years old. After being taken captive, he was abandoned by his wife. Ill and without resources, he survived for a time thanks to the modest pension of his sick mother. Following her death last winter, after being alerted by ARPI to his dire health and housing conditions, LIBERTAS mobilized its resources to come to his aid.


For LIBERTAS, this death once again highlights the inhumane situation faced by former hostages and prisoners of war after their release, due to the absence of an official status that would guarantee support and care for the serious difficulties they experience upon returning from captivity.


In January of this year, the Armenian Parliament rightly adopted legislation granting a special status to persons who went missing following Azerbaijan’s aggression in 2020.

However, to this day, the humiliations, physical torture, and psychological abuse suffered by Armenian military personnel and civilians who were held captive in Azerbaijan are not recognized as injuries resulting from their service in the defense of the country and therefore do not benefit from the support and compensation they deserve.


LIBERTAS has conducted a comparative study examining the treatment of hostages and their families in a number of countries, both democratic and non-democratic. The study highlights the existence of support mechanisms addressing the main consequences of captivity, including necessary physical and psychological care, housing assistance, professional and social reintegration measures, and support for their children.

Today, such a comprehensive approach is lacking in Armenia, where former captives often appear to be left to face these challenges alone after their release.


LIBERTAS believes that this situation must change.

To this end, the organization is committed to holding an international conference in Yerevan next October, bringing together legal experts, non-governmental organizations, and specialists in post-traumatic care in order to draw the attention of Armenian society and political decision-makers to this critical issue.


For further information about the conference, please contact: contact@libertas.com


*LIBERTAS works for the release of Armenian state hostages and for the rehabilitation and reintegration of released prisoners.


**ARPI is an Armenian non-governmental organization. Its social workers and psychologists provide psychological and social support to former prisoners of war on the ground, in cooperation with INTRA, within the framework of LIBERTAS’s program. Initially established to assist women and children affected by the 1988 earthquake, ARPI now also cooperates with the Aznavour Foundation.


***INTRA (Seda Ghazarian Mental Health Foundation, Yerevan) is LIBERTAS’s partner in implementing psychological and social support programmes for former prisoners of war in Armenia. Under the direction of Khachatur Gasparyan, INTRA also cooperates with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation in Armenia, as well as with Santé Arménie and the Vinatier Psychiatric Hospital in Lyon, France.

 

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