Armenian man Vagif Khachatryan, 69, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, recently contacted his family members. This was reported to 168.am by Khachatryan’s daughter, Vera Khachatryan.

“My father called us on December 19, he was saying he is well. He calls once a month for a few minutes; the Azerbaijani side organizes those calls. We don’t talk in much detail, he tries to speak with all family members, a few seconds with each, so he can hear everyone’s voice,” Vera Khachatryan said.

In July 2023, the Azerbaijani side had also abducted Vagif Khachatryan, a citizen of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), from the Hakari Bridge. He was coming to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, for heart surgery, accompanied by his daughter, through the Red Cross.

Since September 3, however, the Red Cross office in Baku has no longer been operating, as it was closed at the request of the Azerbaijani authorities. As a result, Armenian prisoners and hostages held illegally in Baku have been deprived of their only means of contacting their families.