Ruben Vardanyan subjected to brutal torture in Azerbaijani

PanARMENIAN.Net - New horrifying details have surfaced about the torture inflicted on Ruben Vardanyan, the former State Minister of Artsakh, in an Azerbaijani prison. According to reports, metal was clamped around his head and squeezed.

This information was revealed in a statement by the Armenian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, which demands the restoration of the rights of Armenian detainees facing illegal trials in Baku.

“Since Azerbaijan’s 2020 war against Artsakh, numerous Armenian prisoners of war and civilians have been held in Baku and other Azerbaijani cities. The official number of detainees acknowledged by Baku is 23, but human rights defenders have documented at least 80 cases of captivity. The Azerbaijani regime has committed numerous human rights violations during and after the 44-day war, including the nine-month blockade of Artsakh, acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement. Now, this is compounded by the sham trials of Artsakh’s political and military leaders in Baku,” the statement reads.

According to the statement, Armenian prisoners of war and hostages are subjected to both physical and psychological abuse, and Vardanyan’s trial has turned into a Stalinist-style show trial.

During a phone call with his family, Vardanyan reported being subjected to illegal actions. The ongoing court proceedings in Azerbaijan lack any elements of justice, while the mistreatment and humiliation he endures pose a direct threat to his life.

“Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian hostages are being brutally tortured through fabricated trials—serving as acts of revenge by the Azerbaijani authorities, political leverage, and an attempt to undermine Armenian national consciousness,” the statement asserts.

As a form of protest, Vardanyan declared a hunger strike on February 20. However, during his February 26 court hearing, his health deteriorated sharply, causing the session to be interrupted.

“My father has been tortured,” Vardanyan’s son, David Vardanyan, stated in a video message, calling for action against the show trials of illegally detained Armenians in Baku.

“Terrifying details have emerged that metal was clamped onto Ruben Vardanyan’s head and crushed. Doctors warn that his condition poses an immediate threat to his life. In accordance with medical ethics and the UN Convention Against Torture, urgent intervention is required from international humanitarian and medical organizations,” the statement emphasizes.

The statement further notes that Azerbaijan’s continued actions blatantly violate international law, including the Third Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War and other human rights treaties.

The Armenian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum strongly condemns the trials orchestrated by Baku and calls on the Armenian government, the National Assembly, diplomatic missions in Armenia, and international organizations to:

• Condemn Azerbaijan’s illegal actions,
• Demand the protection of Ruben Vardanyan’s and other Armenian prisoners’ rights,
• Work towards ending inhumane treatment and securing their release.

The statement also urges the International Committee of the Red Cross and human rights organizations to publicly address these violations and take collective action to restore the rights of Vardanyan and other Armenian detainees.

Additionally, the authors of the statement appeal to Vardanyan’s family and lawyers, urging them to convince him to end his hunger strike.

“In his own words from Baku’s prison, we must ‘stay strong, endure, and believe in the victory of truth.’ To do so, he must remain healthy and continue resisting,” the statement concludes.