Armenian Ex-POW Karlen Stepanyan Dies at 52 After Battling Cancer and Enduring Personal Loss

Karlen Stepanyan, an Armenian serviceman who spent weeks in Azerbaijani captivity following the deadly border clashes of November 2021, has died at the age of 52 after battling cancer.

His death became publicly known only days later after filmmaker and activist Hovhannes Ishkhanyan shared the news on social media. As of now, Ishkhanyan appears to be the only person to have publicly reported Stepanyan's passing.

According to Ishkhanyan, Stepanyan died three days ago after enduring years of hardship following his return from captivity.

"After returning from captivity, his wife left him, and he fought cancer for some time on his mother's meager pension until she passed away last year," Ishkhanyan wrote.

Born in 1974, Stepanyan was among a group of Armenian servicemen captured during Azerbaijani attacks on Armenia's southeastern border on November 16, 2021. The clashes were one of the most serious escalations between Armenia and Azerbaijan after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

At the time, Armenian authorities reported multiple casualties, wounded servicemen, and prisoners of war as fighting erupted in the Ishkhanasar and Tsitsernakar mountain ranges of Armenia's southern Syunik Province. Azerbaijani forces advanced into sovereign Armenian territory during the hostilities, while several Armenian military positions fell under Azerbaijani control.

More than a month later, on December 19, 2021, Stepanyan was among ten Armenian prisoners of war returned home from Azerbaijan through mediation efforts led by European Council President Charles Michel and European Union Special Representative Toivo Klaar.

For Stepanyan, however, the end of captivity did not bring an end to suffering.

According to Ishkhanyan, he spent his final years battling cancer while facing significant personal and financial difficulties. Following the loss of his mother last year, who had reportedly supported him on a modest pension, his circumstances became even more difficult.

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