In the prison where he is held in Azerbaijan, Haykaz Hovhannisyan is a strong and loving man; surrounded by a large family, he keeps hope alive. His brother, his wife and his uncle tell us about the hell they have faced since his capture. Haykaz Hovhannisyan was born on May 8, 1992, aged 28 when he was captured by the Azerbaijani armed forces, leaving behind a wife and two children. His son resembles him, and his daughter, who hardly knew him, talks about him all the time. In this tight-knit family, united against the misfortune that has befallen them, memory and hope are the daily driving forces, and the name of the father held captive is a constant topic of conversation. Flora, his wife, tells us: “When night falls, it's impossible for me to close my eyes. All I do is think about him, locked between 4 walls. How does he feel? She relives the memory of a hasty birth without her husband present to welcome their second child. “ Haykaz was able to return after 20 days to finally meet our little girl.   He was covered in the blood of his friends and told me he couldn't hold the child in his arms in that state ”. Flora and her brother hoped that he would finally be able to stay with them. Physically weakened but courageous at heart, he had to leave with the hope of a speedy return. Haykaz Hovhannisyan's family were the last people to communicate with the group of 62 soldiers who were taken away. The last call was made by his brother at 6.30pm on December 13, 2020. Moments later, they officially became Azerbaijani prisoners of war. He describes his older brother as a man who “ does things the right way ”. He works the land, protects his family from want, and his absence is felt every second. His uncle describes "the hell they've been going through every day  ” for the past 3 years. Troubled by this situation, and unable to understand why it has come to this, he recounts with a touch of humor how Haykaz learns Armenian from the Azeris who are holding him captive. In brief telephone exchanges and a few letters, all under very tight surveillance, there is no room for talk about the reality on either side, just reassuring words aimed at boosting morale. “ Everyone knows it, but it feels good ,” lets out the brother with a sigh. After Haykaz's capture, his family discovers the situation via a video circulating on social networks. Flora shows me images of her husband with other Armenian soldiers, forced to say at gunpoint that “ Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan ”. The images are heavy, the sound of his voice echoes in the silence of the room, his mother's eyes fill. Her brother recalls that when they saw these images, their feelings were confused. They were torn between the joy of knowing he was alive and the shock of this new ordeal awaiting Haykaz. He would later learn that Haykaz had been sentenced to 6 years. Flora sent her husband photos of her children, so that every morning, the POW greets his family, talks to them and wishes them a good night. His wife tells us that it's these little things that keep him going. She says of her son, Koryun: “ When his father left, he wore military uniform.   After he left, my son would run up and hug every soldier he saw, thinking it was his father ”. When asked what support this close-knit family could offer, they want nothing. “ We want nothing but the return of our Haykaz.   No money, no possessions, no anything.   Nothing will fill this void.   We want him back. ” Patricia Tanielyan for LIBERTAS October 1st 2023

“My husband is our hero. We love, respect and admire him deeply.” Testimony of Linda, wife of prisoner Vicken Euljeckjian. Vicken Euljeckjian is one of the few civilians illegally detained in Azerbaijan following the 44-day war in Artsakh. Born in Beirut to a family of Armenian Genocide survivors, Vicken moved to Armenia from Lebanon in 2017 due to the unstable economic situation. Linda, his wife and mother of his two children Serge (23 years old) and Christine (20 years old), bears witness from Beirut to the ordeal the family has been going through since 2020. What was your husband doing before the 2020 war? “ Vicken ran a cafe in Beirut for the last few years he was in Lebanon ,” Linda says. In 2015, Vicken decided to settle in Armenia. Two years later, after several trips back and forth between Armenia and Lebanon, he decided to settle in Armenia with his family. With their daughter set to finish her studies in 2019, Linda will remain in Lebanon with their children for the time being. In Armenia, Vicken started working as a taxi driver, then decided to open a restaurant with a colleague, Maral Najarian. Because of Covid, they had to close the restaurant and Vicken returned to his taxi driving business. “ The situation was becoming increasingly precarious. At that time, the Artsakh government offered a housing assistance program to anyone who wanted to move to Artsakh. Vicken managed to get a place to live in Shushi, and Maral Najarian - in Stepanakert. We were supposed to join him in September 2020, but the war broke out and Vicken left for Yerevan. During the last days of the war, Vicken and her colleague went to Artsakh to collect their belongings. They first went to Stepanakert, where Maral lived, and then headed to Shushi. But as soon as they arrived in Shushi, the Azerbaijani military arrested them. And when they searched my husband's phone, they found photos of him in military uniform, which was enough evidence to arrest them both ," Linda explains. How did you learn that he had been taken prisoner? "We had no news from him for a month. It was on Lebanese television that I learned that my husband was alive and in captivity in Gobustan prison in Baku. After eight long months without news, I finally received a letter from Vicken through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Under torture, Maral was forced to cooperate with Azerbaijani authorities who dictated a confession to the effect that Vicken had received $2,500 for his services as a “mercenary” during the war. It should be noted that mercenary activity is a proven fact concerning Azerbaijan: Baku did indeed use Pakistani and Syrian mercenaries during the war in Artsakh in 2020. Armenia had managed to capture some of them, who were subsequently tried for “terrorism”. In order to defend themselves, the Azerbaijanis therefore needed to accuse Vicken of being a mercenary and the only “proof” they managed to get was Maral’s “confession”. Later, in an ECHR report, Maral admitted that his confession had been extracted under torture and that none of it was true. "Vicken's case is therefore very particular among the cases of other Armenian prisoners of war, and more complex for the defense lawyers. Maral was able to be released thanks to the intervention of the Lebanese state, but unfortunately, because of his "confessions", Vicken was sentenced to 20 years in prison " deplores his wife. Are you able to communicate with him at present? “ Thanks to the Red Cross, every month I receive a letter and I can speak to him once on the phone. During the phone calls, Vicken tries to explain to me in Arabic the truth about his detention conditions, but his guards prevent him from doing so and force him to speak in Armenian for control reasons. However, I do not speak Armenian. I know that he is very weak, that the detention conditions are very harsh. The only food he is served is rice; he has lost more than 15 kilos and suffers from memory problems. I see his condition gradually deteriorating due to malnutrition and the inhumane treatment he has suffered. He is denied any care. I no longer recognize my husband, his physical and psychological state has deteriorated so much; I was unable to tell him about his mother's recent death. How could I have done so? He already lost his father and one of his brothers last year. As for me, I suffer from many health problems: depression, chronic pain, respiratory problems, complications related to the after-effects of COVID. I cannot afford my health care and my condition simply does not allow me to work. My mother, who is blind, is my dependent, and we live as a threesome with my daughter in a small apartment. Since Linda has been trying to raise the issue of her husband Vicken Euljeckjian’s detention, she has become the target of insults, mockery, and speculation online. For example, there was once an article claiming that Vicken had died in prison. On social media, Azerbaijani users keep calling out Linda, mocking her, addressing obscenities, or lying about Vicken’s condition… In the case of Vicken and her family, anti-Armenian hatred is expressed without limits. How are your children experiencing this ordeal? "My daughter Christina left university and now works to support the family. Serge lives with his fiancée. He works as a jeweler in a company. Our children are living in deep unhappiness and are traumatized by the videos of torture suffered by their father; my daughter is being followed by a psychologist, but my son refuses any psychological help. He wants to appear strong and assume the role of the man of the family; he refuses to marry as long as his father languishes in Azerbaijani jails. The entire family has promised Vicken to fight until his last breath for his release. We love, respect and admire him deeply. I have appealed for help several times on social media; my daughter has started a fundraising campaign to help us pay for lawyers, but we have received no help. Our only hope lies with Armenian lawyers who are doing their utmost. My husband is our hero. His children miss him so much. I miss him every day." The LIBERTAS collective

Paris, Lyon, Geneva December 08, 2023 The Libertas collective welcomes the release of 32 Armenian prisoners of war and civilians, announced as part of an agreement between the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments. Libertas recalls that it had taken up the cause for the release of these prisoners by soliciting international NGOs and French and European local authorities to sponsor their release. According to initial information to be confirmed, the 32 released prisoners include civilians captured in Shushi in the aftermath of the 2020 ceasefire, 26 Armenian soldiers captured by the Azerbaijani army on December 13-14, 2020 during the occupation of Hadrout in the south of the Republic of Artsakh, as well as soldiers and civilians kidnapped first in May 2021, then in August 2023 on the illegal checkpoint between Artsakh and Armenia. Azerbaijan is holding a further 23 Armenians, civilians, military personnel and politicians from the Republic of Artsakh. Among them are Armenian soldiers who fought in the first Artsakh war, guilty of taking part in Armenian self-defense in the face of ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan. These people are currently facing sentences of up to 20 years in prison, for crimes invented during mock trials in a country well known for its low level of democracy. Hilda Tchoboian, of the Libertas collective, declared on this occasion: “Libertas is delighted that these prisoners will be returning to their families in the next few days, and hopes that their release will finally put an end to their suffering, as well as that of all their relatives traumatized by seeing the scenes of mistreatment inflicted on the captured Armenians”. These releases, which came 3 years late for certain prisoners used as bargaining chips in the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, must be followed by the release of all other prisoners held hostage by the Aliev regime. Libertas reports that the ICRC visits prisoners of war and detained civilians every 5 weeks. However, it appears that abducted and illegally detained political leaders do not benefit from these regular visits. LIBERTAS fears for their health, and in the absence of reliable information from impartial international organizations, warns Azerbaijan against possible mistreatment of them. Libertas would like to thank all the sponsors, cities, personalities and NGOs, who have committed themselves to the protection and release of the POWs now freed. Their commitment has now been rewarded. Like the rest of the prisoners of war held in Baku, the 8 leaders of the Republic of Artsakh must be released unconditionally. The LIBERTAS Collective

Excerpts: “... Questions and comments from Committee members Mr. TODD BUCHWALD, the Committee's co-rapporteur for the examination of Azerbaijan's report , referred to allegations received by the Committee concerning the existence, in Azerbaijan, of a climate that tolerates torture and ill-treatment. Thus, in the opinion of certain non-governmental organizations (NGOs), while the Government was indeed committed to investigating the allegations, torture and ill-treatment remained widespread and the authorities regularly dismissed complaints, thus ensuring impunity for those responsible, the expert pointed out. Other concerns reached the Committee regarding the treatment of journalists and human rights defenders, including allegations that the authorities fail to investigate and prosecute abuses committed against them, added Mr. Buchwald. He reported, for example, the ill-treatment of journalist Tofig Yagublu, and the torture and threats against human rights defender Bakhtiyar Hajiyev. The Human Rights Committee expressed concern at what it called “constant reports of torture, including of journalists, human rights defenders” and others, Mr. Buchwald further noted. The expert then raised concerns about the use of excessive force against demonstrators. He asked what was being done by the Azerbaijani Government to prevent arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment of demonstrators, and to ensure prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into allegations. With regard to the conflict with Armenia, Mr. Buchwald reported numerous allegations of ill-treatment of Armenian prisoners of war, including the public beheading of some prisoners. The Expert asked what the Azerbaijani Government had done to investigate these cases, to prosecute those responsible and to tackle the general climate of ethnic intolerance which can serve as a breeding ground for this type of violence. He also wanted to know whether ill-treated prisoners of war or detainees could seek redress from the Azerbaijani government. Mr. Buchwald also noted that while the Code of Criminal Procedure seems to state that evidence obtained under torture is inadmissible, article 125.8 of the Code states that the burden of proof [in this matter] lies de facto with the victim. The Committee is informed that torture is routinely used to force people to sign “police files” which amount to confessions, the expert said. He wanted to know whether the Government intended to ensure that all interrogations were recorded electronically. Mr. Buchwald then recalled that, in its previous concluding observations on Azerbaijan, the Committee had expressed deep concern at [the country's] inability, in practice, to grant all persons fundamental legal safeguards from the outset of their deprivation of liberty. The expert therefore wanted to know to what extent litigants [now] have access to a lawyer in good time. Mr. Buchwald also reported shortcomings in the access of persons deprived of their liberty to an independent medical examination. The expert further indicated that the Committee was also informed that detainees are unable, in practice, to inform family members or other persons of their choice from the outset of their deprivation of liberty. Mr. Buchwald was also concerned that some people were being held incommunicado in Azerbaijan. Mr. Buchwald also relayed the concerns expressed by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) about the ineffectiveness of the Ombudsman institution in combating torture and ill-treatment. He also reported on restrictions imposed on independent NGOs which prevented them from operating effectively. Mr. Buchwald then insisted on knowing the number of NGOs registered in the country since the last report. ... “