Prisoners of War

Last updated: May 29, 2026

The fate of Armenian prisoners of war held by Azerbaijan has been one of the most persistent and painful subjects in Groong’s coverage, appearing across more than 260 episodes. The issue began with the 44-Day War of 2020, after which Azerbaijan held an unknown number of Armenian soldiers and civilians whose existence Baku long refused to acknowledge.

Groong has followed the POW issue in detail over the years: the identification of prisoners through videos circulated on social media, the legal obligations of Azerbaijan under the Geneva Conventions, failed repatriation efforts, the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the ongoing detention of Artsakh ’s political and military leadership following the September 2023 offensive. The prisoners of war question intersects with the broader peace negotiation process and remains unresolved as of the time of writing.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Prisoners of War.

Guest(s):

Former Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan - 01/18/2021

We’ll be discussing various legal and human-rights topics within the context of recent developments in Armenia.

Guest:

  • Ruben Melikyan was formerly Artsakh’s Human Rights Ombudsman and prior to that rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the “Path of Law” NGO.

Topics:

  • Why are there Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijan so long after the Nov. 9 ceasefire agreement?
  • On Constitutional Court judges being forced to resign
  • On Parliament’s endorsement of Gagik
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Guest(s):

Conversation with Aram Vardevanyan - 01/13/2021

Since Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018, and prior to the Artsakh war of 2020, issues around the Armenian constitution and constitutional court have been in the center of public attention. These issues have been partly fueled by one of the most prominent legal cases in recent Armenian history, the March 1 trial against Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and military leadership at the time. We’ll explore issues surrounding the March 1 case, as well as legal and specifically constitutional questions related

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Guest(s):

Conversation with Aram Vardevanyan - 01/13/2021

Since Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018, and prior to the Artsakh war of 2020, issues around the Armenian constitution and constitutional court have been in the center of public attention. These issues have been partly fueled by one of the most prominent legal cases in recent Armenian history, the March 1 trial against Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and military leadership at the time. We’ll explore issues surrounding the March 1 case, as well as legal and specifically constitutional questions related

 Read More

Guest(s):

Conversation with My Step’s Maria Karapetyan - 01/08/2021

As protesters in the streets of Yerevan continue demanding the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan in the aftermath of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ruling My Step faction seems to be firmly on the side of the prime minister.

In the last week or so here at Groong we hosted representatives of various opposition parties and today we will host a representative from the ruling My Step faction to talk about the ongoing political crisis in Armenia.

Today we’re joined by:

Maria Karapetyan, who is a member

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Guest(s):

Conversation with My Step’s Maria Karapetyan - 01/08/2021

As protesters in the streets of Yerevan continue demanding the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan in the aftermath of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ruling My Step faction seems to be firmly on the side of the prime minister.

In the last week or so here at Groong we hosted representatives of various opposition parties and today we will host a representative from the ruling My Step faction to talk about the ongoing political crisis in Armenia.

Today we’re joined by:

Maria Karapetyan, who is a member

 Read More

Guest(s):

ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 35 - Dec 20, 2020

Topics Covered:

  • Life in Artsakh
  • Update on Hin Tagher & Khtsaberd
  • Internal Political Situation in Yerevan
  • Kapan Border Tension

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Irina Safaryan
  • Emil Sanamyan

Your Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20201220.html Recorded: Dec 20, 2020

Guest(s):

ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 35 - Dec 20, 2020

Topics Covered:

  • Life in Artsakh
  • Update on Hin Tagher & Khtsaberd
  • Internal Political Situation in Yerevan
  • Kapan Border Tension

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Irina Safaryan
  • Emil Sanamyan

Your Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20201220.html Recorded: Dec 20, 2020

Guest(s):

Conversation with ARF’s Arthur Khachatryan

Following the trilateral Karabakh ceasefire of Nov 9, the Armenian opposition has nearly universally condemned Nikol Pashinyan’s agreement to the deal. The largest opposition grouping, called Movement of the Salvation of the Homeland (Հայրենիքի փրկության շաժում in Armenian), composed of 17 political parties including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), Prosperous Armenia, and the Republican Party, are demanding Pashinyan’s immediate resignation and the appointment of their

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Guest(s):

Conversation with ARF’s Arthur Khachatryan

Following the trilateral Karabakh ceasefire of Nov 9, the Armenian opposition has nearly universally condemned Nikol Pashinyan’s agreement to the deal. The largest opposition grouping, called Movement of the Salvation of the Homeland (Հայրենիքի փրկության շաժում in Armenian), composed of 17 political parties including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), Prosperous Armenia, and the Republican Party, are demanding Pashinyan’s immediate resignation and the appointment of their

 Read More

ANN/Groong Week in Review - 08/30/2020

Topics:

  • Armenian POW Gurgen Alaverdyan
  • Armenia’s Humanitarian Aid to Aleppo
  • Serge Sargsyan’s Interview and the Four-Day War Deliberations
  • National Awards
  • Vagharshak Harutyunyan’s Appointment as Chief Advisor to Pashinyan

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Emil Sanamyan
  • Alen Zamanyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200830.html Episode 11 | Recorded on August 30 2020

ANN/Groong Week in Review - 08/30/2020

Topics:

  • Armenian POW Gurgen Alaverdyan
  • Armenia’s Humanitarian Aid to Aleppo
  • Serge Sargsyan’s Interview and the Four-Day War Deliberations
  • National Awards
  • Vagharshak Harutyunyan’s Appointment as Chief Advisor to Pashinyan

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Emil Sanamyan
  • Alen Zamanyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20200830.html Episode 11 | Recorded on August 30 2020