Four Armenian POWs Returned by Azerbaijan; Two Syrian Mercenaries Transferred to Syria

Driving the news:
Azerbaijan has transferred four Armenian prisoners to Armenia via the Hakari (Khakari) Bridge, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced. All four are now on Armenian territory and undergoing initial medical checks.

At the same time, Armenia’s Ministry of Justice said it handed over two Syrian nationals to Syrian authorities via Turkey. The men had been serving life sentences in Armenia for crimes related to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

What they’re saying:
Pashinyan confirmed that Gevorg Sujyan, Davit Davtyan and Viken Euljekjian showed no health issues in primary evaluation, and Vagif Khachatryan’s condition is preliminarily assessed as satisfactory.

The big picture:
Three of the returned Armenians were detained in the aftermath of the 44-day 2020 war; the fourth, Vagif Khachatryan, was abducted in 2023. They had been convicted by Azerbaijani sham courts on charges including “espionage and other offenses”.

Armenia’s justice ministry said it transferred two Syrian mercenaries, Yousef Alaabet al-Hajji and Muhhrab Muhammad al-Shkhari, back to Syrian jurisdiction after they had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 2021 on terrorism-related charges.

Dozens more Armenian prisoners remain in Azerbaijani custody.

@REPUBLICPRESS