The family of an ethnic Armenian held in captivity by Azerbaijan has made an appeal to the Yerevan Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for information about his whereabouts after he was not released in the December hostage exchange as Azerbaijan had previously reported he would be.
After the announcement on December 7 that Baku had consented to the release of 32 Armenian hostages in exchange for 2 Azerbaijani prisoners and Armenia’s support for Azerbaijan hosting the upcoming COP29 climate change conference, a list of those who would be released was issued by the Azerbaijani press. It included the name of Vicken Euljekian, a civilian who was captured along with Maral Najarian at an Azerbaijani roadblock days after the November 9, 2020 ceasefire statement was signed.
The news of his impending release announced on December 7 brought joy to his family in Beirut, Lebanon, and they began preparing for his return. His wife Linda tweeted:
I am waiting to hear his voice
— Linda vicken euljeckjian (@LindaVicken) December 8, 2023Let it be soon
pic.twitter.com/v9pw9Gb1L7
Let it be soon
The release was delayed for almost a week until Azerbaijan’s hosting of COP29 was finalized, at which point on December 13 it took place on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in Tavush marz. However, for reasons still not explained, Euljekian was not among the 32 hostages brought for the exchange. His wife tweeted:
Our joy was great. We were preparing to receive our father, but the injustice had not ended yet. Our hearts are broken. We had nothing to say. I ask everyone to raise my father’s name high. I am happy for the rest of the families. I wish that we are in there place.
— Linda vicken euljeckjian (@LindaVicken) December 13, 2023pic.twitter.com/XRGuzc5SM2
Human rights lawyer Luciana Minassian and journalist Uzay Bulut have addressed an open letter to the ICRC delegation in Armenia on behalf of Euljekian’s family and co-signed by organizations such as Christian Solidarity International, the Anglican Office for Government and International Affairs, In Defense of Christians, and the Hellenic American Leadership Council, among others.
After the crushing bait-and-switch report in the Azerbaijani press, the letter seeks the ICRC’s immediate assistance regarding his location and health status in order “to bring peace of mind and hope to his family.”
In its capacity as an impartial and neutral international humanitarian organization, the ICRC acts as a conduit between those Armenians held in prison by Azerbaijan and the outside world. The letter notes that Euljekian was sentenced to 20 years in prison after what it calls a “sham, illegal trial”, and also references two humanitarian aid workers who were kidnapped during the same period and are still being held, Gor Sujyan and Davit Davtyan.
It states the urgency of this appeal as “observers have determined that the last-minute swap might be due to Vicken’s failing health conditions and grave mental and emotional duress.” Citing the “unbearable prison conditions” Euljekian lives under, the letter asks for the Red Cross’s “assistance in finding the necessary means to confirm Vicken’s health and well-being.”
The official number of Armenian hostages held by Azerbaijan now is estimated at 23, but the letter cites an Armenian legal professional Siranush Sahakyan assertion that there might be at least 80 additional ones being held but not acknowledged or identified.
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