The story of POW Hrayr Herabyan as told by his wife Aline, who is raising their two daughters alone. Children play tag under the amused gaze of their mother and the neighbors who have come to drink coffee, an old lady picks weeds in her vegetable garden, and two boys ride by on their bicycles, waving goodbye. At first glance, there's nothing to suggest that the Herabyan family, originally from the village of Goghovit (Chirak), has been plagued by a muted tragedy for the past two and a half years. Mobilized during the Second Artsakh War, 28-year-old Hrayr was taken prisoner along with some sixty soldiers from his unit, a few days after the signing of the ceasefire agreement on November 10, 2020. He was subsequently sentenced to six years' imprisonment by the Azerbaijani courts, along with thirteen of his comrades. We caught up with his wife, Aline, to find out more about this painful episode in a household accustomed to a more peaceful life. Can you give us a brief introduction to your family? Aline Vardanyan (A. V.) - Hrayr and I have two daughters, Syuzi and Anahit, who are five and ten years old. I'm originally from the village of Moussayelian, south of Ashotsk, about ten kilometers from here. We currently live in Hrayr's father's house, with his parents and two brothers. Before the war, Hrayr and I had bought a house in the village, and we were due to move there in autumn 2020. What did your husband do before the 2020 war? A. V. - He worked in agriculture and stockbreeding with his father and brothers. He didn't go on to higher education. After finishing school, he did his two years' military service in Artsakh, in Askeran. Apart from that, he likes to work on his own or his father's car, and does odd jobs for people. How would you describe his personality? A. V. - He's a quiet, sincere, sensitive and sometimes emotional man. Tell us about his mobilization during the 44-day war... A. V. - He left on November 27 with a unit of men from Shirak province. They were sent to the villages of Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher (in Artsakh). During the war, we called each other almost every day. He didn't say much about military operations, but he kept repeating that their presence made no sense because there was no fighting where they were. How did you find out he'd been taken prisoner? A. V. - The day it happened, I'd spoken to him on the phone in the morning. He was about to ride down to the village to bring back supplies for the soldiers. He showed me the Azeri positions on the opposite summit. They were very close. He said he'd call me back in the evening. But he never called back. I then called Hrayr's uncle, who was serving in the same unit, but it was Azeris who answered. And we realized they'd been taken prisoner. It's a miracle they weren't killed. Are you currently able to communicate with him? A. V. - We can talk to him through the Red Cross, every 40 days or so. At the moment, he's not doing well at all. The last time I spoke to him, he was even more depressed and desperate than before. He was a sight for sore eyes and could barely speak. As I said, he can be emotional, and it's hard for him to control himself. When I tell him to wait a little longer, that he'll be back soon, he replies: “No, we're just telling you stories, don't be fooled. He has no hope left”. As for the conditions of detention, he assures me that everything is normal. In the letters he sends us, he can't say much, because they're proofread there and here. Which organizations are helping you in your efforts to secure his release? A. V. - At the moment, only the Red Cross is helping us. The lawyers are doing their job, but it's not working. The hardest thing is for the children. They miss their father. Soldiers with children should have been repatriated first. It's not possible to keep repeating the same promises indefinitely. Personally, I don't believe that the government's efforts will lead to their release. We only expect results from international organizations. How are your children coping with this situation? A. V. - It's very difficult for my older daughter. She's become very aggressive. With her father, she was different. She was two when Hrayr left, but now she's beginning to understand better what's going on. One night, she fell asleep with his photo against her chest. Another time, there was a meeting in the village with one of the soldiers who had returned from captivity. My little girl went up to him and asked: “Why didn't you bring my dad back? Why did you come back and not him?” And the soldier started crying. Where do you find the strength to overcome this ordeal? A. V. - It's my children who give me the strength to resist. I live for them. The same goes for my in-laws: they do everything to make sure the children don't feel their father's absence. We know that Hrayr will come back one day, but we don't know when that day will be. We think about him day and night, but we don't know what to do. Our only hope is in God. Interview by Achod Papasian

We are thrilled to announce that Dove Tales and the Scottish Peace Network , two Scottish NGOs promoting peace have decided to sponsor two Armenian POWs, Andranik Sukiasyan and Andranik Mikaelyan. Jean Rafferty, Chair of Dove Tales, declared: “We're appalled at the use of individual Armenians as bargaining chips and want to help in raising awareness of Azerbaijan's unacceptable actions in Nagorno Karabakh. We're sick of seeing dictatorial governments act with impunity - and of corrupt Western governments putting profit before people. If Azerbaijan were not such an important oil and gas producer we think more action would be taken to condemn the Azeri government”. Background Information about the Libertas campaign and why it was launched: In late September 2020, Azerbaijan started the second large-scale war in Nagorno-Karabakh, after 26 years of frozen conflict. Following this 44-day war, a tripartite ceasefire declaration was signed on 10 November 2020, between the Azeri and Russian presidents and the Armenian prime minister, in preparation for a subsequent peace agreement. The cease-fire declaration provided for the exchange of all prisoners of war between Azerbaijan on the one hand, and Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh on the other. By the beginning of 2021, all Azeri POWs were returned by the Armenian sides. The process of return of detained Armenian POWs and civilians was done in several waves in 2021, but Azerbaijan deliberately stopped it prematurely. According to information from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Baku is still holding 33 confirmed prisoners of war, whom it accuses of terrorism and has unduly sentenced to sentences ranging from 4 to 20 years in prison, in violation of the ceasefire declaration and the Geneva Convention III of 12 August 1949 relative to the treatment of prisoners of war. In addition to these 33 prisoners of war, evidence indicates the existence of at least 80 other captured persons (videos of their capture, testimonies of freed ex POWs ...) of whom we have no more news. Azerbaijan denies their existence. The fate of these "forcibly disappeared" remains uncertain, as the ICRC has no information about them and cannot visit them. Several NGOs (Human Rights Watch), institutions (European Parliament, Council of Europe) and European courts (ECHR) have confirmed that Azerbaijan, one of the worst countries in the world in terms of universal rights and freedoms, continues to torture and subject prisoners of war to inhuman and degrading treatment. In June 2021, during a trip to Nagorno-Karabakh in the company of Turkish President Erdogan and his wife, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev openly admitted the he was "still holding many Armenian prisoners of war" in order to use them for blackmail against Armenia and demand concessions not provided for in the tripartite agreement of November 2020. This policy of Azerbaijan is also part of what the European Parliament rightly described in a resolution of 10 March 2022 as a " state policy of systematic Armenophobia, historical revisionism and hatred towards Armenians promoted by the Azerbaijani authorities ". For example, the Parliament of Azerbaijan adopted a declaration in March 2023 calling the Armenian diaspora a "cancerous tumor of Europe". This is why in the spring of 2023 the LIBERTAS collective made up of Hyestart, the Covcas centre for law and conflict resolution and l’Obersvatoire d’arménophobie launched an eponymous campaign with the aim of securing the release of these Armenian prisoners of war through their sponsorship by cities, regions, NGOs and personalities. In essence, sponsoring a prisoner of war means protecting them from cruel or degrading treatment, and demanding their repatriation as soon as possible. In April 2023, the mayor of Lyon (France, Green Party) became the first mayor to publicly sponsor a prisoner of war, Grigor Saghatelyan. The town of Bourg-les-Valence (France) also sponsored an Armenian POW, Ludwig Mkrtchyan. Several other municipalities have accepted to sponsor an Armenian POW. Updates will soon be announced. More about Dove Tales and the Scottish Peace Network, the sponsors of Andranik Mikaelyan and Andranik Sukiasyan: Dove Tales , the Association of Scottish Artists for Peace, is a charity born of the need to understand and deal with the unstable world we live in. Dove Tales is a member driven organisation. Dove Tales aims to be completely transparent in its operation and to involve its members in all its campaigning work and events. The Scottish Peace Network (SPN) was formed in the spring of 2014. SPN takes a stand against wars as acts of terror and consists of a number of peace organisations and individuals. More about Andranik Mikaelyan and Andranik Sukiasyan: Andranik Sukiasyan was born in 1997 and lived in Gyumri, Armenia's second largest city in the north west of the country. As is not uncommon in the region, weightlifting was one of his passions. After his compulsory military service, he studied computer science while working as a delivery person to pay for his studies. With a balanced and calm personality, he is said to be friendly and devoted to his family. Andranik Mikaelyan was born in 1998. He grew up in Gyumri as well. After his compulsory military service, he worked as a chef in a kitchen. Like the other Andranik, he was also a delivery man for a while. He is an only child. He is said to be friendly, patient, and willing to help those in need. He loved football from a young age and would have certainly cheered at Armenia's recent victories in the Euro 2024 qualifying tournament against Wales and Latvia. Join the LIBERTAS campaign here . #FreeArmenianPOWs - your support can save them, your voice can bring hope to their families. Let's unite our voices to guarantee their right to life, liberty and security!

"Sometimes you'd like to let go, to be hugged and loved.   But I have to be strong for my children."    Ludwig Mkrtchyan was taken prisoner on October 12, 2020 during the 44-day war in Artsakh. From that day on, his family had no further contact with him. Following the ceasefire on November 9, 2020, the tripartite declaration provided for an exchange of all prisoners of war. Ludwig, unlike the other prisoners captured before November 9, 2020, was not handed over to Armenia. What's more, an Azeri court sentenced him to 20 years' imprisonment, the harshest penalty. And yet, he is not a career soldier or a high-ranking officer. He enlisted as a reservist so as not to lose Armenian Artsakh, just as Nakhchivan, another autonomous Armenian region within Soviet Azerbaijan, was lost. Unlike Artsakh, Nakhchivan was emptied of its Armenian population during the Soviet era. Ludwig knows all too well what it's like to lose your homeland, your home. He was born in 1969 in Nakhchivan, in the town of Aznaberd, the last Armenian town to be emptied of its Armenian population. Aznaberd had several medieval churches: the monastery of Saint-Tovma (10th century), the churches of Saint-Hovhannes (12th century) and Saint-Grigor (12th century), and the chapel of Saint-Hakob. They were all deliberately destroyed between 2001 and 2011 by the Azeri authorities as part of their policy to erase all Armenian traces in Nakhichevan, Artsakh and other parts of what is now Azerbaijan. Shortly after his birth, Ludwig's family fled from Aznaberd to Yeghegnadzor in Armenia. As his family was modest, they could only find a half-built house to live in. Ludwig spent his whole life trying to repair the house and create good living conditions for his family. His big dream was to own his own house one day. This dream became a goal when he married Hranoush: they both wanted their children to grow up in their own home, without ever having to fear homelessness. After many years of hard work, Ludwig and his wife Hranoush were finally able to buy an apartment thanks to a bank loan... But Ludwig wasn't even able to live in his dream apartment for a year. On September 27, 2020, when Azerbaijan unleashed a war along the entire Artsakh border, and like many Armenians, Ludwig, traumatized by the loss of his homeland in Nakhichevan, joined the defense of Artsakh. "We were told he was dead...   That his body wasn't there...   The neighbors came to express their condolences, but I couldn't understand why.   My two children and I couldn't accept the news ,” says Ludwig's wife Hranoush. Ludwig's daughter, Svetlana, spent her days looking at videos and photos on Azerbaijani Telegram channels, searching for her father or, painful as it may seem, his body... At the time, the Azeris were putting a lot of videos of torture and capture of Armenians online. "She was no longer afraid.   She had seen so much inhuman and cruel treatment on the Internet.   It was as if her heart had frozen...   It was on November 13 that she saw a video in which we recognized Ludwig ,” explains Hranoush. Then the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that Ludwig was indeed in captivity in Azerbaijan.  When asked to describe Ludwig in one sentence, Hranoush replied: “A man with a capital H”. There were other prisoners with Ludwig who had already returned home. Many of them, when they returned to Armenia, visited Ludwig's family and expressed their gratitude, saying that they had never met such a kind and caring person as he, and that without Ludwig, they probably wouldn't have had the strength to overcome such hardships. “ He helped them a lot, protected them, supported them psychologically.   At work, with his family and friends, everywhere, Ludwig was a modest person.   If he could, he helped people, if he couldn't, he didn't bother.   Family was the most important thing to him.   We both worked and, in fact, always struggled financially in all areas of life.   Ludwig first worked as a shoemaker, then as a bricklayer, and I'm a disabled person.   Although I've almost always worked, we've never had high salaries.   We spent whole days worrying about our family and taking care of our children.   She's a very altruistic person.   Sometimes, when we cooked good dishes or bought something special and saved a portion for him to eat when he got home, he'd say, “I don't want it, let the kids eat it.”   In every situation, he'd go without and say, 'It's better to spend this money on the kids ,'” says his wife. In the beginning, Hranoush admits she was completely lost and deeply depressed, as she had to look after the family all by herself. One day, her 14-year-old son asked her, “ Mom, do we have any money to buy bread ?”. This question brought Hranoush back to reality. She pulled herself together and discovered a strength in herself she'd had no idea of before. Secretly, away from the children, she goes into the bathroom and reads Ludwig's letters from the International Committee of the Red Cross, trying to soothe her nostalgia. She cries in the bathroom, relives those moments, then dries her tears, washes her face and goes out so that the children don't see her weak and helpless. More than twenty years of marriage have not weakened their love for each other. On the contrary, their love is stronger than ever. Today, Hranoush takes care of everything - the bank loan, the children - and tries to do everything in his power to ensure that their children will never feel ashamed or feel the absence of their father. His family only receives occasional support from benevolent individuals or organizations, which they use to pay off the mortgage. The son will finish his studies this year. Hranoush is trying to do all he can to offer his son an education at a medical school. The daughter was also studying at university, in the winemaking department, but was unable to continue her studies, as it was at the time her father was captured and the family was going through a difficult period, both psychologically and financially. “ I had no idea I had so much strength inside me.   It's very difficult to be a single woman with two children.   For example, when my daughter got engaged, I really wanted my husband to be by my side.   According to Armenian tradition, it's the daughter's father who serves the cognac at the engagement party.   In our case, we entrusted this responsibility to my son.   I imagine my daughter's future wedding, thinking about the moment when they announce that the parents must enter the hall.   How am I going to get in as a mother, a father or a single parent?   It's very sad for our family life.   Sometimes we'd like to let go, to be hugged and loved.   But I have to be strong for my children...   Ludwig wasn't in the habit of making grand declarations of love.   He was very reserved and modest.   He only told me once that he loved me, when we were to be married.   And now he writes in every letter: I love you, I miss you.   I thought you'd been by my side for so long without telling me you loved me, and now the whole of Armenia and Azerbaijan have learned that you love me (laughs)...   That's the only positive thing in all this ,” says Hranoush. Ludwig Mkrtchyan was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in Azerbaijan, including 10 years in a penal colony under strict regime. Every month, the International Committee of the Red Cross organizes a telephone call between the family and Ludwig, and also shows them videos. Neither his lawyers in Armenia, nor the Red Cross, know why he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Ludwig, a living witness to ethnic cleansing in Armenian Nakhichevan, is now being repeated in Artsakh.

Krikor Amirzayan At the Valence City Hall, Nicolas Daragon, Mayor of Valence, signed on July 18, 2023 the sponsorship act for Armenian prisoner of war Hrayr Herabyan, currently still being abusively detained by Azerbaijan. The ceremony was organized with the Libertas collective, which is campaigning for the release of Armenian prisoners of war unlawfully detained by Baku. The Libertas collective was represented in Valence by Hilda Tchoboian from the Covcas center. In his speech, Nicolas Daragon recalled the situation in Armenia and Artsakh with the Azeri aggression, as well as the fate of Armenian prisoners of war. Michel Valla, Mayor of Privas (capital of Ardèche), who came as a friend of Armenia, also testified on the struggle of Armenians for their dignity. "And even if the media are very little interested in Armenia, it is our duty to recall each time the fate of these Armenians attacked on their lands" said Michel Valla. Hilda Tchoboian listed the cities and regions that had already sponsored one of the 33 Armenian prisoners of war. She stated that, beyond these 33 official prisoners, there remain more than 200 Armenian soldiers, fighters or civilians abducted by Azerbaijan and of whom there is still no news. These are the "forcibly disappeared". Baku did not report their presence, while the Armenian side has evidence of their abduction or illegal detention by Azerbaijan. "After the Armenian prisoners of war listed, the Libertas collective will also take action for these 200 forcibly disappeared and of whom there is no trace," she said.

says the father of Hrayr Tadevosyan (27) Hrayr Tadevosyan, 27, was taken prisoner along with around 60 soldiers from his detachment, a few days after the signing of the November 9, 2020 ceasefire agreement. In July 2022, he was sentenced to six years' imprisonment by the Azerbaijani courts, along with thirteen of his comrades. Today, his father, Vardan Tadevosyan, testifies from their village of Goghovit, in the Chirak region, in the hope of one day seeing his son again. Hrayr studied at the military faculty of Gyumri Pedagogical University. In May 2021, he was due to sit his exams to become a lieutenant. At the same time, he was working in construction in various villages in Chirak province. In April 2016, following an attack by Azerbaijan on Armenian territory, he was mobilized in the so-called Four-Day War and decorated for his commitment. “  Despite stereotypes about those who choose a military career, my son is a patient, calm and caring person.   He has a very simple, quiet character.   He is, as they say, small with the small and big with the big.   He gets on well with everyone, and enjoys the camaraderie.   He always speaks in a way that doesn't hurt people's feelings,  “ says Vardan. Hrayr was part of the Shirak province unit that was mobilized to Artsakh, to replace another group of soldiers in Armenian-controlled positions, the village of Khtsaberd. They left on November 27, 2020. First to Kadjaran, then to Latchine, from where they walked to Khtsaberd, in south-western Artsakh. “ There was no longer any fighting in this area, even after the ceasefire.   Their mission was simply to guard the positions and watch over the Hadrout plain.   Their post was on a peak, in the mist, more than 20 km from the first village.   We phoned him every day and he simply replied that everything was fine.  ” “ On December 12, they were ordered to leave the position so that another group could come and replace them.   But when they arrived downstairs, Azerbaijani soldiers were waiting for them ,” explains Hrayr's father. According to information available to the families of the POWs, in violation of the articles of the November 9, 2020 agreement, the Azeri army surrounded the Armenian position, imprisoning 62 Armenian soldiers, while the detachment commander, vice-colonel A. Ghazarian, along with 38 other soldiers, managed to escape. Several trials are currently underway at the Armenian Military Court to clarify this case. Hrayr Tadevosyan is one of 33 prisoners of war whose captivity has been confirmed by Azerbaijan. This means that every forty days, the Red Cross visits them in prison in Baku. “ We can talk to him on the phone.   On site, they also record a short video with all the prisoners so that we can see them.   And we too can record a video and send it to him.   When you compare their pre-war photos with the ones we received recently, they look like they're sixty years old.   It's a sight to behold.   They are oppressed both physically and mentally.   Those who record the videos have hinted to us that they are being tortured.  ” “ Those who have returned from captivity don't say much about what's going on there, they only talk about it in broad strokes.   But they don't say everything, because their comrades are still there and they don't want to give the Azeris new pretexts for mistreating them.  ” Azerbaijan's accusation against Hrayr and his other comrades is that they “illegally entered Azerbaijani territory”. “ But when my son and his detachment were deployed to Khtsaberd, this territory was under Armenian control, and was to remain so under the November 9 agreements.   After the ceasefire was signed, it was  the  Russians who were supposed to deploy on this territory, but they refused to do so.   They gave this territory to Azerbaijan, and our soldiers with it  “. The families of prisoners of war are desperately seeking those responsible for their misfortune, since no one is taking responsibility. But they remain lucid. “ There isn't a national or international structure that we haven't approached.   We have collectively visited every possible embassy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the National Security Service, and submitted written requests.   But for the past two years, there has been no progress.   I'm not denying the work that has been done to bring back a certain number of prisoners, but in my case, it makes no difference.   As long as my son hasn't returned, all this work has no value for me.   Azerbaijan uses them as bargaining chips.   We thought Europe could put pressure on Azerbaijan, but since they signed a gas deal, it seems naive.  ” According to Vardan Tadevosyan, if a peace treaty is signed between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Artsakh, the Armenian prisoners of war will be released: “ Azerbaijan can try them or do what it wants, but according to the Geneva Convention they have the status of prisoners of war and if peace is signed, they will have to be released.   Last year, Azerbaijan already released some of the prisoners and gave them amnesty as a sign of “goodwill ”. “ Hope dies last.   We hope that Hrayr will come back, that we'll all be together again.   It's a daily torture.   Sometimes we're in complete despair, and other times we manage to pull ourselves together, telling ourselves that soon  he'  ll need us.   That's our hope: to stay strong so we can help him when he comes back.  ”

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