A trial has begun in Azerbaijan against Ruben Vardanyan, a philanthropist who moved to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022, becoming the state minister of the republic.
Vardanyan stated that the records of his interrogations were falsified., Russia - BBC News reports.
In September 2023, after a one-day conflict, Azerbaijan regained control of Karabakh. Over 100,000 Armenians fled to Armenia, and Vardanyan was detained on September 27 in the Lachin Corridor.
Before moving to Karabakh, Vardanyan was a prominent figure in Russia, founding Troika Dialog, the country’s first investment bank. After selling it to Sberbank, he focused on philanthropy and education in Russia and Armenia.
In 2022, Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship and took office in Karabakh. By September 2023, the region had fallen under Azerbaijani control.
Vardanyan faces charges of financing terrorism and other crimes. He has been held alongside 23 Armenian detainees.
In April 2024, he began a hunger strike, facing inhumane conditions as punishment.
Vardanyan has criticized the trial process, claiming he was given only limited access to the 422 volumes of case files.
He called for peace, saying, “I will do everything to make it happen in my lifetime.”