Former Armenian prisoner of war (POW) Robert Nalbandyan, who was arrested in Armenia after returning from Azerbaijani captivity, was released on Friday, human rights activist Ruben Melikyan said.

"Our first client in the "POW case", Robert Nalbandyan, regained freedom today. He had been under arrest for 52 days; first in Azerbaijani prison and then in Armenian prison. Robert will now rejoin with his three minor children and try to recover from the injuries he sustained in Azerbaijan," Melikyan wrote on Facebook, sharing a photo with him.

According to the lawyer, given their sufferings in Azerbaijan, arrests of former captives in their home country should be ruled out.

Nalbandyan was taken captive during the November 16 clashes on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and later returned to Armenia, where he was accused of violating the rules of combat duty.