Armenian POW Ludwig Mkrtchyan needs urgent medical care - lawyer 

ArmInfo.  Armenian prisoner of war Ludwig Mkrtchyan, held in Azerbaijani captivity since 2020, is fighting for his life amid deteriorating health. Luciana Minasyan, an  Argentine lawyer of Armenian descent and head of the Buenos Aires  branch of the organization SOAR, reported this on her Facebook page.

According to her, medical records indicate Mkrtchyan has serious  health problems. In particular, his white blood cell count (WBC) is  14.27, almost twice the normal level and indicating a severe  inflammatory process. Also, according to published data, the prisoner  of war has been diagnosed with left ventricular hypertrophy,  diastolic dysfunction, and aortic regurgitation. Minasyan states that  Mkrtchyan regularly suffers from severe headaches, dizziness, chest  pain, and extremely high blood pressure, despite Azerbaijani  specialists officially describing his condition as "stable."

"This is a deliberate neglect of medical care for a prisoner of war  captured in 2020, and representatives of the International Committee  of the Red Cross currently have no access to him," the lawyer states.   In this regard, Minasyan appealed to the United Nations, UN High  Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, and the International  Committee of the Red Cross to ensure immediate access of independent  doctors to Ludwig Mkrtchyan and organize emergency medical care for  him. The lawyer attached copies of the prisoner's medical records to  her publication, calling on the international community to pay  attention to the gravity of his condition.

Ludwig Mkrtchyan was captured by Azerbaijan during the 44-day war in  the fall of 2020. Armenian and international human rights  organizations have repeatedly raised the issue of the fate of  Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan, calling  on Baku to comply with international humanitarian law and ensure  their access to medical care and representatives of the International  Committee of the Red Cross.

The exact number of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages held in  Azerbaijani prisons remains unknown. Experts estimate the number to  be several hundred. Azerbaijani authorities currently confirm the  presence of 19 Armenians in their custody. Among those held in  Azerbaijani captivity are eight former and current members of the  military-political leadership of Artsakh. These include former  Artsakh presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik  Harutyunyan; former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan; as well as  Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan; former Commander-in-Chief of the  Artsakh Defense Army, General Levon Mnatsakanyan; General David  Manukyan; and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.

In February, a Baku puppet court sentenced Arayik Harutyunyan, Davit  Babayan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Davit Manukyan, and Levon Mnatsakanyan to  life imprisonment on trumped-up charges, and Bako Sahakyan, Arkady  Ghukasyan, and Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison. The so-called  court sentenced the remaining Artsakh residents to up to 15 years in  prison.