Quick Summary
- Azerbaijan released four Armenian prisoners amid ongoing peace negotiations.
- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed the release on social media.
- Advocates warn about ‘sham proceedings’ as Azerbaijan continues to hold at least 20 other Armenian prisoners.
Azerbaijan has released four Armenian prisoners in a development that officials in Yerevan described as a significant step in peace efforts between the two countries. The men were handed over at the Khakari Bridge and are now in Armenian territory, though some groups called it an “incomplete exchange.”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed the release on social media, identifying the prisoners as Gevorg Sujyan, Davit Davtyan, Vicken Euljekjian and Vagif Khachatryan.
Three of the men had been detained following the 2020 takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan. Khachatryan, the fourth, was arrested in July 2023 while being evacuated by the Red Cross for medical treatment, according to the Switzerland-based Christian Solidarity International.
All four men had been sentenced to terms ranging from 15 to 20 years for charges including espionage and arms smuggling, according to Azerbaijani authorities. Armenian officials and rights groups have previously described the detentions as illegal and politically motivated.
Pashinyan’s office said that Sujyan and Davtyan were humanitarian volunteers, while Euljekjian, a Lebanese-Armenian, had been detained after the November 2020 ceasefire. CSI reported that Khachatryan, 70, was removed from an ambulance during Azerbaijan’s blockade of the region and accused of genocide.
In a reciprocal gesture, Armenia released two Syrian nationals, Yousef Alaabet al-Hajji and Muhrab Muhammad al-Shkhari, who had been serving life sentences after being captured in 2020 while fighting for Azerbaijani forces. CSI called them “jihadists.” The men were sent back to Syria via Turkey, according to Armenia’s Ministry of Justice.
The releases occurred as Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington to discuss progress on the U.S.-backed TRIPP initiative, which includes a corridor linking Turkey to Azerbaijan through Armenia’s southern border with Iran.
Armenia has previously expressed concern about Azerbaijani claims to the region under the TRIPP proposal.
The handover is being seen by many as the latest step in a peace process that began after Azerbaijan’s 2023 military operation forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee Nagorno-Karabakh, though talks remain stalled over issues such as constitutional changes demanded by Baku despite Armenia’s recognition of Azerbaijani sovereignty, which has angered many Armenians.
Azerbaijan continues to hold at least 20 other Armenian prisoners, most of whom are former officials of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh, the ethnic Armenian administration of Nagorno-Karabakh. Authorities in Baku have charged them with terrorism, war crimes and attempting to overthrow the state.
One of the detainees, Ruben Vardanyan, a former senior official, is facing 42 charges, including terrorism, and may receive a life sentence. Trials are being conducted in closed sessions with limited access to legal counsel, according to rights groups.
CSI has described the trials as “sham proceedings,” and the European Parliament has previously raised concerns about due process and the denial of access to families and lawyers. CSI President John Eibner said that while the latest releases were a welcome development, they were part of a larger pattern of hostage diplomacy.
The organization reported that at least 80 ethnic Armenians have been forcibly disappeared since 2020.
The four men released Wednesday were among a group described by President Donald Trump as “23 Christians” during the August 2025 signing of a U.S.-brokered peace agreement. At the time, Trump committed to pressing Azerbaijan to release all Armenian detainees.
Yerevan had earlier repeatedly accused Baku of using prisoners as leverage in political negotiations. Human rights officials in Armenia say the detentions violate the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.
The Armenian captives were transferred at the Khakari Bridge, a key crossing point between the two countries located near Armenia’s southern Syunik province.
