Baku treats Vardanyan differently, keeps isolated: lawyer

PanARMENIAN.Net - Siranush Sahakyan, head of the Center for International and Comparative Law and legal representative of Armenian prisoners at the European Court of Human Rights, stated in a press conference that a "differentiated approach" is being applied in Baku toward Ruben Vardanyan, former State Minister of Artsakh, businessman, and philanthropist.

“Ruben Vardanyan's isolation from the outside world has increased. His family informed us that the frequency of phone calls has decreased. While most prisoners are allowed one call per week, typically on Wednesdays, this routine hasn’t been maintained in Vardanyan’s case. For various reasons, he is being isolated, his trial is being delayed, and he is denied the right to make his final statement in court,” Sahakyan said, as reported by Sputnik Armenia.

According to the human rights advocate, although Azerbaijani sources may offer different interpretations, the issue of Armenian prisoners of war also carries a religious dimension. She emphasized that Azerbaijan is “deliberately targeting Christian Armenians.”

“Although some books are allowed, it is impossible to provide prisoners with the Bible, which has no reasonable explanation. If there’s access to books and prisoners have time to read, why shouldn’t they be allowed the Bible if they request it? This ban applies to both Ruben Vardanyan and other inmates. Furthermore, religious symbols have been confiscated, and even tattoos have been burned. In our assessment, being Christian is also a factor that may complicate resolving this issue,” she said.

Sahakyan also stated that the main purpose of the trials in Baku is to delegitimize the political structure of Artsakh, according to Panorama.am.

“The goal of these trials is to delegitimize the political entity of Artsakh and to impose demonstrative punishments on all Armenians who acted in its favor,” she said.

She noted that the entire judicial process in Baku was linked to Artsakh’s right to self-determination, its Armenian identity, and activities in support of Artsakh.

According to Sahakyan, the trials of illegally detained Armenian prisoners and political detainees in Baku were conducted behind closed doors, with no public access.

“The number of court sessions exceeded 150, yet we didn’t see any concrete facts, evidence, or proven charges,” she added.

In November, Ruben Vardanyan had a phone call with his eldest son, David Vardanyan, during which he conveyed the message: “Artsakh has existed, exists, and will exist.”

In September 2023, Azerbaijan's border guards detained Ruben Vardanyan, former Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, former Deputy Commander Davit Manukyan, former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, former National Assembly Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, and former Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan. The case against Vardanyan is being handled separately.