Gevorg Sujyan, who recently returned from Azerbaijani captivity, said during a Facebook live broadcast that in Baku he was told he was considered missing and that his family was searching for his body.
He said he did not believe until the last moment that he would return home, even though he had been told he would be released soon.
Sujyan noted that two other people captured in October 2020 were held with him and were supposed to be released under the November 9 statement but remain imprisoned in Azerbaijan. He named Alyosha Khosrovyan and Lyudvig Mkrtchyan.
He also spoke about the psychological suffering endured by Armenian prisoners still held there, many of whom have no information about their families.
“They took me blindfolded to court. In court, they said what they wanted, our words were not considered at all. They threw us back into the cell. Then court again, they announced the sentence and returned us to the cell. They admitted I was innocent but said they were sentencing me because they had issues with my country.
Five years, two months, three days of my life are gone. No one can imagine the psychological torment. When they captured me, everyone told me I was missing and that my family was searching for my body. No one had any information,” Sujyan said.
According to him, he was told that they could bring 60 witnesses in 10 minutes, describing how trials were conducted.
Sujyan added that every minute he thinks about the prisoners who remain in captivity. From the first moment of his return, he demanded their release and said he would sit in front of the U.S. Embassy and even go to the White House to plead for support.
He stated that there is no judicial system in Azerbaijan and that he was tried solely for being Armenian.
Sujyan concluded that real reconciliation is impossible as long as Azerbaijani prisons still hold Armenian captives, whom he described as “sons of our state.”
According to Azerbaijani media, prosecutors have sought life sentences for former Nagorno-Karabakh president Arayik Harutyunyan, former foreign minister Davit Babayan, former Defense Army commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, former deputy commander Davit Manukyan, and former Artsakh parliament speaker Davit Ishkhanyan.
The prosecution also demanded 20-year prison terms for former Nagorno-Karabakh presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, as well as Madat Babayan and Melikset Pashayan. Other requested sentences include: Garik Martirosyan — 19 years; Davit Alaverdyan — 18 years; Levon Babayan — 17 years; and Vasili Beglaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan, and Edik Ghazaryan — 16 years.
