Today is my father’s 70th birthday, and we are going mad with helplessness that we cannot simply call and say, ‘Papa, I love you, happy birthday.’ (Press)
- Libertas
- Oct 28
- 2 min read
Today, Vagif Khachatryan marks his 70th birthday behind bars in Azerbaijan, where he remains unlawfully imprisoned after being abducted while trying to reach Armenia for emergency medical care during Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of Artsakh.
Because Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor, imposed in December 2022, had cut Artsakh off from Armenia and deprived its 120,000 residents of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid, the International Red Cross organized an evacuation for Vagif Khachatryan to undergo urgent heart surgery in Armenia. On July 29, 2023, Azerbaijani forces captured Vagif at the Hakari Bridge, where they stopped the convoy and took him to Baku, ignoring protests from Red Cross personnel.
In Baku, prosecutors accused him of “genocide,” “forced displacement,” and “destruction of property” allegedly committed in the village of Meshali (Khojaly district) on December 22, 1991.
Armenian and international observers have rejected these charges as fabricated. The court sentenced him to 15 years in prison, with the first five to be served in jail and the rest in a high-security colony.
Earlier today, his daughter, Vera Khachatryan, shared a heartfelt message for her father’s birthday:
“Sometimes it feels like every word is unnecessary, sometimes it seems meaningless to write or share emotions online. But there are days when silence becomes impossible, when words are the only way to release suffocating feelings.
Today is my father’s 70th birthday, and we are going mad with helplessness that we cannot simply call and say, ‘Papa, I love you, happy birthday.’
Forgive us, our kind, strong father, for our helplessness. We embrace you through the air as tightly as our hearts allow. You will feel our warmth, the strength that must help you endure all hardships.
No border can separate us. You will come home, we believe it. You promised.”
Vagif Khachatryan remains unlawfully detained in Azerbaijan. His family and human rights advocates continue to call for his immediate release, describing his imprisonment as a violation of international humanitarian law and a symbol of the ongoing persecution of Artsakh’s civilian population.
