Baku today released three Armenian university students detained by Azerbaijani law enforcement on August 28 when they were returning to Yerevan from Karabakh along the Lachin Corridor.

Armenia’s National Security Service has confirmed that Alen Sargsyan, Vahe Hovsepyan and Levon Grigoryan were handed over to Armenian authorities.

Azerbaijani media claimed the three students were in a group of amateur football players from the town of Martuni, featured in a 2021 social media video, who stepped on the Azerbaijani flag.

Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General (PG) later reported that it would drop criminal charges against the three and expel them after ten days administrative detention. The PG said all three “sincerely expressed remorse for their actions and pledged not to engage in such activities in the future.”

Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan issued a statement on the students’ release and accused Azerbaijan of arbitrarily abducting Artsakh residents on fabricated charges.