Vagif Khachatryan contacted his family from Baku prison
Artsakh Armenian Vagif Khachatryan has contacted his family members from Baku prison.
The 68-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years in jail in Azerbaijan for “crimes” dating back to 1991. Khachatryan has to serve five years of his sentence in prison and the rest in a strict-regime penal colony.
He was abducted and arrested by Azerbaijani border guards at the Lachin Corridor checkpoint on 29 July while being evacuated to Armenia by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for an urgent heart surgery.
Khachatryan was charged with "genocide" and "deportation or forced exile of population" in the village of Meshali on 22 December 1991. He strongly denied all charges against him.
The elderly man’s daughter, Vera Khachatryan, told Hraparak on Friday that she managed to speak with her father several days ago. The communication was facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“He only said that he was good and was taking medicine. He calls us once a month, but we don't have any news, to be honest," the woman said.