Tandilyan says captives’ condition remains unclear

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia still has no clear information about the condition of at least 19 captives — what they are going through, the state of their health or the conditions in which they are being held. Mane Tandilyan, leader of the Country to Live party, wrote this on Facebook, referring to lawyer Lusiana Minassian’s warning about the condition of captive Lyudvig Mkrtchyan.

“Lyudvig Mkrtchyan is fighting for his life alone in a Baku prison. Lawyer Lusiana Minasyan is sounding the alarm....

“The lives and health of these people are at risk, and this will remain on the conscience of all those who can help secure the captives’ return or at least obtain information about their condition, but do not. It will remain on the conscience of all those who discuss a wide range of issues with their Azerbaijani counterparts yet do not speak about the fate of these people.

“The fate of the captives is not a personal matter, nor is it a political issue. This is a matter of our national dignity. I do not want to believe that we are finally losing the ability to feel one another’s pain. I do not want to believe that we can grow accustomed to forgetting our captives while they continue fighting to survive in Azerbaijani prisons.

“Do not be indifferent. Speak out, demand action, remind others. Our compatriots must not be left alone. Any tragedy that happens to them or may happen will weigh heavily on the conscience of us all,” she wrote.

Armenian prisoner of war Lyudvig Mkrtchyan, held in a Baku prison, is fighting for his life, his lawyer Lusiana Minassian said. She added that this amounts to deliberate medical negligence toward the prisoner of war captured in 2020.

“His heart is affected: left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction and aortic insufficiency, along with recurring headaches, dizziness, chest pain and high blood pressure. All of this is concealed behind an official conclusion describing his condition as ‘stable.’ No real treatment,” Minassian wrote.