Davit Vardanyan calls on Trump to help free his father

PanARMENIAN.Net - Ruben Vardanyan's son, Davit Vardanyan, has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to fulfill his campaign promise by pressuring Baku to release his father and other Armenian Christian detainees. He expressed this appeal in an op-ed published by Fox News.

“My family and I hope President Donald Trump will fulfill his duties as a leader who promotes peace. He can do this by pressing Baku to follow international law and demonstrating his commitment to peace by helping secure the release of my father and other Armenian prisoners,” Vardanyan wrote.

He described the situation of 120,000 Armenian Christians subjected to ethnic cleansing in Artsakh by Azerbaijan.

“In the past, when Armenians faced such atrocities, America responded heroically. At the beginning of the 20th century, when Ottoman Turks massacred 1.5 million Armenian Christians—recognized as the first genocide of that century—ordinary Americans founded the Near East Relief foundation. They raised over $117 million (equivalent to $2.7 billion today) to rescue Armenian orphans and refugees, marking America’s first major international humanitarian effort. President Wilson actively supported their mission, popularizing the phrase ‘starving Armenians,’ which became part of the national lexicon.”

He added that the rescued Armenians became integral to American society. “When Americans enjoy Cher’s music, watch Kim Kardashian’s shows, or recall Andre Agassi’s tennis victories, they witness the legacy of genocide survivors who found refuge in America.”

“Today, my father, Ruben Vardanyan, cannot share his story. For more than 550 days, he has been a political prisoner for defending the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians to live on their ancestral land.”

“He is not alone. At least 23 other Armenian Christian detainees are currently being held unlawfully in Baku,” the article states.

In September 2023, following a nine-month blockade and the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh's Armenian population, Azerbaijan captured former Artsakh Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, as well as former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, and other former officials. They face fabricated charges that could result in life sentences. A sham trial of Artsakh’s leaders began in Baku on January 17.