Vagif Khachatryan, a 70-year-old Armenian citizen held in Azerbaijani captivity, was hospitalized in critical condition after his health sharply deteriorated during a court hearing in Baku on December 22. The deterioration was reported by Azerbaijani authorities on Tuesday. A former resident of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Khachatryan is a prisoner serving a 15-year sentence on fabricated charges and was transferred from prison to intensive care after experiencing respiratory distress and chest pain.
According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Justice, Khachatryan developed breathing difficulties and pain in the heart area during the hearing. The Azerbaijani pro-government agency APA reported that his condition worsened rapidly. Initial medical assistance was provided by doctors from the Medical and Sanitary Unit of the Ministry of Justice’s Main Medical Department, where he underwent intensive therapy and resuscitation measures inside an Azerbaijani prison facility.
Due to a lack of significant improvement, Khachatryan was urgently transferred by ambulance to a medical facility under the Ministry of Justice and later moved to a state-run medical institution to receive higher-quality treatment.
Further details were provided by Emil Gasimov, head of the Intensive Care Unit at Yeni Klinika and adviser to the Executive Director of TABIB. Speaking to APA, Gasimov said the patient was urgently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Yeni Klinika late Monday night, at 12:30 a.m. on December 23, in critical condition. He was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, moderate mitral stenosis, and decompensated chronic heart failure, which led to pulmonary edema and severe respiratory failure.
Gasimov said treatment in the intensive care unit, including medication therapy, regulation of fluid balance, and non-invasive ventilatory support, produced positive results. “The patient has overcome the life-threatening critical phase, but his condition remains serious. Treatment continues in the intensive care unit under close supervision,” he said. Azerbaijani media continue to assess Khachatryan’s condition as critical, and intensive medical care remains ongoing. He remains in intensive care at the facility.
Khachatryan is a former resident of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) who was kidnapped and arrested by Azerbaijani security forces on July 29, 2023, while traveling from Artsakh to Armenia for urgent medical care. He was being escorted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and was accompanied by his daughter while heading to Yerevan for heart surgery. He was abducted at the Hakari Bridge and taken to Baku. Khachatryan was 68 years old at the time of his abduction.
In November 2023, the Baku Military Court convicted Khachatryan on fabricated and false charges, accusing him of committing “genocide” and illegal deportation. Azerbaijani accusations further claim that Khachatryan allegedly “created a criminal group” and participated in crimes against residents of the village of Meshali in Azerbaijan’s Khojaly district on December 21, 1991. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Khachatryan denied all accusations and refused to be represented by an Azerbaijani government-appointed lawyer during the trial. He has repeatedly stated during court sessions that he has not committed any crime.
Khachatryan became the first among at least 23 Artsakh Armenians still held in Azerbaijani detention to be convicted. He is also the only detainee who is not a former high-ranking official of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Eight of the remaining Armenian prisoners are former Artsakh leaders who are currently standing trial on charges they deny.
Khachatryan’s hospitalization was reported just three days after he was again allowed to speak by phone with family members in Armenia. The Armenian news website 168.am reported the call earlier on Tuesday.
“My father called us on December 19. He said he was fine,” Khachatryan’s daughter, Vera, told the outlet. She said the calls are organized by the Azerbaijani side, take place about once a month, and last only a few minutes. “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,” she said.
Since September 3, the ICRC office in Baku has ceased operations at the request of Azerbaijani authorities. As a result, Armenian prisoners and hostages held illegally in Baku have been deprived of their only reliable means of communication with their families.
