Vagif Khachatryan, a 70-year-old ethnic Armenian from Nagorno-Karabakh imprisoned in Azerbaijan, has been hospitalised, with his condition being described as ‘serious’. Khachatryan was detained by Azerbaijani border guards during the blockade of the region in 2023 while being evacuated by the Red Cross for heart surgery in Yerevan.
News of his hospitalisation and serious condition was reported on Tuesday by the Azerbaijani pro-government media outlet APA.
Khachatryan ‘developed shortness of breath and pain in the heart area’ on Monday, the Azerbaijani Justice Ministry told APA.
‘Intensive treatment and resuscitation measures’ were carried out firstly at the Justice Ministry’s Medical and Sanitary Unit, where Khachatryan was reportedly ‘urgently evacuated by ambulance’.
‘However, due to the absence of noticeable positive dynamics in his condition, he was transferred to a relevant state medical institution to receive highly specialised medical care’, the Justice Ministry said.
Later on Tuesday, APA quoted Emil Gasimov, the Head of the Intensive Care Unit at Yeni Klinika, as saying that Khchatryan was accepted at their clinic at 00:30 on 23 December.
Gasimov reportedly noted ‘positive dynamics’ as a result of treatment measures.
‘At present, the patient is considered to have passed the stage of critical life-threatening danger, but his condition is still assessed as serious.’, Gasimov said, adding that treatment in the intensive care unit continued.
Khachatryan was arrested at Azerbaijan’s Lachin checkpoint between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia in July 2023, after the region was placed under blockade in December 2022. He was among 16 patients being evacuated by the Red Cross to Armenian hospitals for urgent treatment.
Following the arrest, the Red Cross announced they had halted the transfer of critically ill patients from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, as well as the return of recovered patients.
Ani Avetisyan
In November 2023, months after his detention, the Baku Military Court sentenced Khachatryan to 15 years in prison.
Khachatryan was accused of taking part in a massacre of Azerbaijani civilians in the village of Meshali, near Khojali, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, charges he denied.
The last time Khachatryan reportedly spoke to his family was on 19 December. His daughters told Armenian media outlets that they learnt the news of their father’s health deterioration from the media and had no additional updates.
Azerbaijan has officially acknowledged it has 23 Armenian prisoners in its custody, including former Nagorno-Karabakh state officials, many of whom are still standing trial.
Ismi Aghayev
