Lawyer Luciana Minassian, an Argentine-Armenian, clarified that the letter from Vicken Euljekjian’s wife to Mehriban Aliyeva, Vice President of Azerbaijan, is not new and was actually sent on August 1, 2025. The letter, which has recently resurfaced in public discourse, originally sought a pardon for Euljekjian, currently imprisoned in Baku. Minassian shared this information via her X account.

"On August 1, 2025, Linda Euljekjian sent a letter to the First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva, using the exact same language now being cited in the latest news reports. We received no response at the time, but the president’s recent statements suggest a direction we had hoped for," Minassian noted, as reported by Panorama.am.

She also published the full text of the letter, which reads:

A wife’s plea for mercy – a request for Vicken Euljekjian’s pardon

"Your Excellency,

I write to you with deep humility and utmost respect, not only as the First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, but also as a woman, a mother, and a daughter, someone whose strength and devotion to family have inspired countless people, including myself.

My name is Iman Arus, and I am the wife of Vicken Euljekjian, who has been imprisoned in Azerbaijan for nearly five years. I am not making a political appeal, but a deeply human one, from one woman to another, pleading for your compassion, influence, and your unique ability to understand the weight of love, loss, and legacy.

Your Excellency,

Your tireless efforts to honor the legacy of your esteemed father-in-law, President Heydar Aliyev, through the foundation bearing his name, show how a family legacy can be preserved not only through words but through presence, respect, and action. You have reminded the world that honoring our elders is among our most sacred duties.

This very duty weighs heavily on my husband’s heart. Though Vicken has endured his imprisonment with dignity, his absence has left a painful void in our family. His mother passed away while he was in prison, denied the right to grieve, to attend her funeral, and to carry her memory with honor. Now my mother, his mother-in-law, is facing the final stages of a brutal cancer. Some days she cannot speak, and on others, the only word on her lips is his name—Vicken.

Vicken is not a young man. He is a father, a husband, a son-in-law. Like all men who bear the weight of their family’s future, he yearns not only for freedom but for the chance to fulfill his duty to honor the woman who raised our children and held our family together. Without him, we are lost.

Your Excellency,

I appeal to your heart, your womanhood, your understanding of what it means to carry a legacy with dignity. Your voice and your compassion could bring peace not only to my home, but send a powerful message to the world that under your leadership, Azerbaijan is not only strong but merciful, recognizing the human cost of absence and the healing power of forgiveness.

My husband’s pardon would be a quiet act of greatness, remembered not as a concession but as an act of humanity. It would restore a father to his children, a son-in-law to my mother, and a husband to me. From the depths of my heart, I ask you to help us. Let him return home. Let him honor what remains. Let him carry the legacy of the woman who may not live to see his release.

With humility, respect, and hope,

Iman Arus, wife of Vicken Euljekjian"

President Ilham Aliyev recently launched a broad amnesty initiative, announcing that more than 20,000 people will be affected in honor of the Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty. The list includes family members of war veterans and socially vulnerable individuals. Over 5,000 prisoners are expected to be released entirely. Euljekjian’s wife and lawyer have been warning for months about his deteriorating health, stating he is no longer able to walk.