Armenian POW fighting for his life in Azerbaijani prison, lawyer warns

An Armenian prisoner of war held in Azerbaijan is facing life-threatening health complications, his lawyer warned on Tuesday, accusing authorities of concealing serious medical findings and denying access to independent doctors.

Lyudvig Mkrtchyan, a former combatant captured in 2020, has been diagnosed with left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction, and aortic regurgitation, according to medical records shared by attorney Luciana Minassian. Blood tests also show his white blood cell count at 14.27 — nearly double the normal range — indicating severe inflammation. Despite repeated headaches, dizziness, chest pain, and dangerously high blood pressure, official reports continue to describe his condition as “stable.”

“This is deliberate medical neglect of a 2020 POW,” Minassian said, stressing that the International Committee of the Red Cross has no access to Mkrtchyan and that he has received no meaningful treatment. She urged the United Nations and international human rights bodies to intervene immediately.

Mkrtchyan and fellow Armenian POW Alyosha Khosrovyan were sentenced in August 2021 to 20 years in prison on charges dating back to the first Nagorno-Karabakh war. Human rights advocates argue that their continued detention violates international law, including the Geneva Conventions, which require the release of prisoners of war after the 2020 ceasefire agreement.

In January, the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR) sent a letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, calling Mkrtchyan’s prolonged imprisonment and lack of medical care a “serious breach of international obligations.” His wife, Hranush Shahbazyan, has also appealed for urgent action.

“Lyudvig Mkrtchyan is fighting for his life in prison,” Minassian said.