Lebanese-Armenian Maral Najarian Freed from Azerbaijani Prison Lands in Beirut

On February 13, Hagop Pakradounian, the president of the Lebanese-Armenian Tashnag Party, contacted the Lebanese Foreign Ministry to enquire about Najarian and help facilitate her release.

According to the party, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry called on ambassadors in Armenia, Russia, and Iran for information on her case. They said she would be released within the following two days, although that failed to transpire.

Najarian, 49, said on March 11 that she had contemplated self-harm after seeing several razor blades in one of the bathrooms at the prison.

Meanwhile, Najarian’s sister, Sossi, feared she would return in a “worse condition.”

“When her [Maral’s] daughter told me Wednesday morning that she was coming home while I was at work, I was so overwhelmed with emotion – my manager told me to take the day off,” she told MEE.

“We burst into tears when we saw each other. It’s a miracle that she’s home.”

Najarian’s family said she had been transferred to a hospital to run medical tests and see a therapist.

The United Nations has expressed concern about the alleged mistreatment of both military and civilian captives in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Amnesty International has also documented torture and extrajudicial killings of captives.