Luciana Minasyan, head of the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR) and lawyer for Armenian POW Ludvig Mkrtchyan, who has been held in Baku for 5.5 years, has made an urgent public appeal to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The lawyer had previously reported that Ludvig Mkrtchyan is facing a serious health problem and is fighting for his life. The 56-year-old Mkrtchyan's white blood cell count is 14.27, nearly double the normal level, accompanied by extensive inflammation. He also has severe heart damage: left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction, and aortic insufficiency. The Armenian POW frequently suffers from headaches and dizziness, as well as chest pain.

"Let Ludvig Mkrtchyan call his wife, Granush Shahbazyan, immediately. Enough silence. Enough uncertainty. One phone call. Now," Minasyan wrote.

She noted that Ludvig Mkrtchyan has not spoken with his wife for more than a month. Their last contact was on June 19. During that call, Ludvig said he felt so weak that he lost consciousness. He was taken for a cardiac examination, but after that there was no diagnosis and no explanation whatsoever. Only complete silence. The lawyer once again raised the alarm that Mkrtchyan's health continues to deteriorate while his family has no information about him.

"One phone call won't heal him, but it will give his wife the chance to find out whether her husband is still alive and conscious. This is a minimal expression of human dignity," the lawyer wrote.