Armenia has transferred two Syrian nationals serving life sentences to the Syrian Arab Republic via Turkey, as four Armenian civilians previously held in Azerbaijani custody were returned to Armenia on the same day.
The Ministry of Justice said Syrian citizens Yusuf Alaabet al-Haji and Muhhrab Muhammad al-Shkheri were handed over to Syrian authorities to continue serving their sentences in their country of citizenship. The transfer was carried out through Turkey within the framework of cooperation between the relevant authorities and applicable legal mechanisms.
The announcement coincided with confirmation by Nikol Pashinyan that four Armenian hostages, Gevorg Sujyan, Davit Davtyan, Vicken Euljekjian, and Vagif Khachatryan, were transferred from Azerbaijani custody to Armenian authorities at the Berdzor (Lachin) Bridge and are now on Armenian territory. Officials have not formally stated that the two developments are linked, though the timing has drawn attention.
Al-Haji and al-Shkheri were convicted in Armenia of mercenarism, international terrorism, and serious violations of international humanitarian law. Investigators identified them as Syrian mercenaries who fought against Armenia. During the investigation, both testified that they were transported from Syria through Turkey, flown on Turkish aircraft, and later transferred to Azerbaijan before being deployed.
The four Armenians had been detained by Azerbaijan under circumstances described by Armenian officials and human rights advocates as unlawful. Sujyan and Davtyan were captured on November 11, 2020, after the ceasefire, while traveling through the Berdzor corridor. Euljekjian was taken captive on November 10, 2020, in Shushi. Khachatryan was abducted on July 29, 2023, at an Azerbaijani checkpoint while being transported by the ICRC for urgent medical treatment during the blockade.
All four were convicted in Azerbaijani courts in proceedings widely described as politically motivated and lacking due process. Armenian authorities say at least 19 Armenians remain unlawfully detained in Baku.
