‘They Thought They Were Being Taken to their Deaths.’ Details Emerge from Last Armenians Forced to Leave Artsakh

A caravan of cars carrying Artsakh Armenians is forcibly leaving their ancestral homeland in Sept. 2023

Since it was reported on Friday that the last remaining Armenians had left Artsakh and arrived in Armenia, government officials have not provided many details about their whereabouts only issuing statements with scant details.

Labor and Social Affairs Minister Arsen Torosyan announced Friday that 11 people—10 Artsakh Armenians and one Russian woman—arrived in Armenia. They presumably were the last remaining Armenians left in occupied Artsakh, after Azerbaijani forces launched a massive attack in September 23 forcing the entire population to flee.

Later on Friday, Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan announced that they all underwent a medical examination in Goris. One of them was hospitalized as a result, she said in a short Facebook post. Since then, however, no Armenian government agencies have provided updates.

Yet, Tigran Petrosyan, a civic activist from Artsakh, briefly spoke to some of them. He said that the people returning thought they were taken to their death.

“There was even a conversation among them, among the people, that ‘they are taking us to be killed,’ meaning that they did not know that they were coming to Hakari. When they reached Hakari, they realized that they were being taken out [of Artsakh],” Petrosyan told Azatutyun.am’s Armenian service.

According to one eyewitness, Rita, a woman of Russian descent who was adopted and was raised in Artsakh, sobbed from the fear of death on the entire trip. As soon as they reached the Hakari checkpoint, they realized that they were being moved to Armenia, and they also found out that one of them was missing.

One of them, Misha Grigoryan told the group, “I’m not coming, the Armenians will kill me,” according to Petrosyan who recounted his conversation.

“He was afraid that he would be killed here [in Armenia]. The Turks had told him said, ‘If you stay, we will kill you here.’ He [Grigoryan] had said, ‘It’s fine, you can kill me,’ sobbing and wailing, after which they threw him in the car,” Petrosyan told Azatutyun.

Misha Grigoryan apparently became a favorite for the Azerbaijani media, which constantly put him in front of the camera for interviews, during which he would wonder out loud why the Armenian had left Artsakh—a propaganda tool for Azerbaijani officials.

Official Baku insists that there was not plan to rid Artsakh of its Armenian population, stressing that those who left did so on their own accord.

Grigoryan also testified in the Baku trial of Artsakh’s former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan. It was evident that his testimony was provided under pressure.

Petrosyan told Azatutyun that Grigoryan turned back halfway from the last transport from Stepanakert to Armenia.

According to Petrosyan, the last few months have been hellish in the “Dghiak” hotel in Stepanakert, where Azerbaijanis gathered about a dozen Armenians, most of who had health problems.

“They were completely locked up in the last few months—in captivity—they were given enough food [to sustain]. They would tell them [the Armenians], ‘Why are you staying? Why aren’t you going? Why aren’t you leaving? Just go,’” Petrosyan noted.

A relative of one of the returnees said that he saw his family member beaten two and a half years later, with traces of violence.

A day after the return of the 12 individuals was announced, Eleonora Hambardzumyan managed to find out through the Ministry of Social Affairs that her brother was among those who had been transferred, that he was in the Nubarashen psychiatric center, Azatutyun reported.

Neither the minister of Labor nor health, or any other department have contacted the relatives or provided any information after the transfer.

Azatutyun reported that most of the returnees are being housed in a hotel in Aghveran.

The last Armenians from Artsakh were expelled, not that they came to Armenia so-called according to their application, emphasizes public figure Tigran Petrosyan. The Minister of Social Affairs wrote that these people had applied to the relevant bodies of Azerbaijan and Armenia with a request to move to Armenia.

“He says, ‘You know how it is, they didn’t even tell us, they didn’t ask us, we signed that paper at the border, but we were already in such a state as if we were sitting in prison,’” Petrosyan reported.

According to him, the Armenian authorities are trying to cover up this latest iteration of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh.

“I can guess as to why they are doing that. They are backing the peace agenda,” Petrosyan said.

“Don’t they see that every time they are trying to establish peace, they are ignoring the international human rights norns? I don’t think that’s right, because this is history. This is the final act of ethnic cleansing—the last people were expelled from there. They did not asked for it,” Petrosyan told Azatutyun.am.