David Vardanyan: my father, 22 others jailed in Baku

PanARMENIAN.Net - David Vardanyan, son of imprisoned Armenian philanthropist and businessman Ruben Vardanyan, has written an op-ed for The Christian Post, appealing for international action as his father remains detained in Baku, along with 22 other Armenian Christians.

“While the world prepares to celebrate Christmas — a holiday of hope and freedom — my sisters, brother, and I cling to hope that we will see our father again,” he wrote.

According to Vardanyan, the detainees have been denied proper trials, spiritual support, and even access to the Bible. He framed their detention within the broader context of global Christian persecution, citing estimates that hundreds of millions of Christians, including one in five in Africa, face daily threats because of their faith. Over 250,000 Christians were displaced from their homes in the past year alone, he said.

“These are not just statistics. They are families. They are futures. And for my family, this crisis has a name: Ruben Vardanyan,” he wrote, noting that his daughter, born two years ago after her grandfather’s capture, has never met him.

Despite growing calls for Vardanyan’s release, including bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress, the French and European parliaments, and human rights organizations like Amnesty International, he remains behind bars.

The August 8 summit at the White House, where Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint declaration, had raised hopes for the release of Armenian prisoners. But Azerbaijan has not honored that commitment, Vardanyan said.

He urged the U.S. to use its influence. “Azerbaijan seeks deeper economic, defense, and diplomatic ties with the West and values its global legitimacy. And most importantly, it listens when the United States speaks.”

He called on President Trump to act, citing his past interventions to free unjustly imprisoned individuals from Sudan to Pakistan.

“My father always taught us that faith without courage is just a word and that light always triumphs over darkness,” he wrote. “Even after two years behind bars, he refuses to give up. If we believe freedom of faith is a universal human right, we cannot ignore the Armenian Christians, or the man who stood with them.”

“The world is watching,” he concluded. “A century ago, our ancestors survived the Armenian Genocide because others had the courage to act. Today, Armenian Christians face familiar threats. History will remember those who demanded justice and those who let silence prevail.”