Mané Tandilyan, co-founder of the "Country to Live" party, who began a hunger strike on March 1, stated that they have not yet been able to contact the family of Ruben Vardanyan, the former Minister of State of Artsakh imprisoned in Baku, and thus do not know whether he is aware of their request, News.am reports.

"This hunger strike is not about me; it is simply a plea to Ruben Vardanyan to stay alive," she said. "I am not even sure that knowing about my hunger strike would make him stop his own because none of us truly know what is happening there."

Asked whether she plans to end her hunger strike considering her health condition, Tandilyan responded that Vardanyan is in a worse state but continues his hunger strike in Baku’s prison.

"With much worse well-being and in far poorer health, Ruben Vardanyan continues his hunger strike in Baku's prison. Any rational person should understand that every day is fatal for him. My plea also has a timeframe—I have asked him to stop the hunger strike because the Armenian people need him. I don't know how much the Armenian people understand this, but knowing what kind of man is imprisoned in Baku, I just want him to survive," she said.

Speaking about her health and the deterioration she experienced the previous day, Tandilyan mentioned that she suffered from low blood pressure and tachycardia, which led to an emergency medical intervention. After receiving medical assistance, she returned and emphasized that she now feels relatively better.

Tandilyan also commented on Azerbaijan’s decision to shut down the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representation in Baku, calling it a means of concealing torture against prisoners of war.

"This is obvious because prisoners’ families establish contact with them through the Red Cross. What does this mean? That Aliyev is allowed to expel even international organizations from Baku? Doesn't the world have anything to say about this? Where are the sanctions?" the politician stated.

She stressed that the international community must take swift and severe punitive measures against Azerbaijan for expelling international organizations, which she called unacceptable.

On March 1, Mané Tandilyan announced her hunger strike in support of Armenians unlawfully sentenced in Baku and urged Ruben Vardanyan to end his hunger strike.