The United States “take actions” when Azerbaijan fails to respect the fundamental human rights of all persons inside Azerbaijan, Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Matthew Miller told a briefing on Wednesday, December 18.

Miller made the remarks when asked about Azerbaijan not allowing American lawyer Jared Genser to enter the country to visit his client Ruben Vardanyan, a former State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh who was captured and imprisoned by Azerbaijan in the fall of 2023.

“When it comes to the status of prisoners being held inside Azerbaijan – and without speaking to any one particular case – you have seen us consistently call for Azerbaijan to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons inside its country, including prisoners,” Miller said.

“You have seen us take actions when we have not seen Azerbaijan respecting the fundamental human rights of all persons inside Azerbaijan, and we’ll continue to pursue that policy.”

Vardanyan, who held the second-highest post in Karabakh’s leadership from November 2022 to February 2023, was arrested at an Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor as he fled the region along with tens of thousands of its ordinary residents displaced by an Azerbaijani offensive. He was charged with “financing terrorism,” illegally entering Karabakh and supplying its armed forces with military equipment.

In mid-December 2024, the Azerbaijani authorities reportedly brought more criminal charges against Vardanyan.