Vicken Euljekjian: Lebanese-Armenian POW on Hunger Strike for 15 Days in Azerbaijan

For over 15 days, Vicken Euljekjian, a Lebanese-Armenian civilian unlawfully detained in Azerbaijan since 2020, has been on a hunger strike. His demand is heartbreakingly simple: a phone call to his wife, Linda—a basic human connection that Azerbaijani authorities have denied him. This silent but desperate protest is yet another cry for help from a man who has been systematically tortured, deprived of his rights, and subjected to inhumane treatment.

According to Luciana Manoukian, the director of the Buenos Aires branch of the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR), Euljekjian’s hunger strike shows the profound psychological torment inflicted on Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijani custody. Manoukian, who made the announcement on Facebook, revealed that SOAR has reached out to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), urging them to intervene. Yet, the ICRC’s attempts to reach Euljekjian have been blocked, showing a blatant violation of international law.

Vicken Euljekjian was captured by Azerbaijani Special Forces on November 10, 2020, the day after the ceasefire agreement that ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. He was not a combatant. He was a civilian retrieving his belongings to evacuate Shushi, a historic Armenian city overtaken by Azerbaijani forces. Despite his non-combatant status, he was unlawfully transferred to a prison in Baku and held incommunicado for nearly seven months.

On June 14, 2021, the Baku Military Court sentenced Euljekjian to 20 years in prison on fabricated charges of terrorism, mercenary activity, and border violations. The trial was a sham—a political theater in which Euljekjian was denied independent legal representation, fair investigation, and the right to defend himself. The only 'evidence' presented was coerced under torture, according to the Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ).

Reports of abuse against Vicken are harrowing. Evidence obtained by the CFTJ details how he was blindfolded, subjected to mock executions, and beaten until he lost consciousness. His cross tattoo, a symbol of his Christian faith, was burned and disfigured—an act that echoes broader patterns of religious persecution in Azerbaijani prisons.

"They wanted to peel my cross off my skin," another Armenian prisoner recounted in testimony collected by the CFTJ. "I said, ‘Better kill me than touch my cross.’"

International law guarantees prisoners of war the right to communicate with their families. But for Armenian detainees in Baku, including Euljekjian, this fundamental right has been systematically denied. Since February 21, 2025, all Armenian civilians held in Azerbaijani custody have been deprived of contact with their families. No letters. No phone calls. No information about their well-being or even whether they are still alive.

Euljekjian’s last phone call with his wife occurred on January 9, 2025. During that call, he expressed suicidal thoughts and informed her that he had reported his intention to end his life to the ICRC. Yet, despite this urgent red flag, no intervention has been made to address his dire psychological and physical condition.

For Euljekjian’s wife, Linda, every day without news is a day of agony. She has been kept in the dark, denied basic information about her husband’s whereabouts, health, and safety. The Armenian community worldwide has called on international human rights organizations to urgently intervene and demand Euljekjian’s release.

Vicken Euljekjian’s plight is not just a personal tragedy—it is a glaring indictment of Azerbaijan’s ongoing human rights violations against Armenian civilians. Organizations like SOAR and CFTJ have demanded international intervention to ensure Euljekjian’s basic rights are respected and that he is granted the simple dignity of a phone call to his wife.

But as the days pass, the question remains: How many more hunger strikes, how many more pleas for help, before the international community takes decisive action? For Vicken Euljekjian, every moment without contact with his wife is another day of silent, unending torment.