The international publication bne IntelliNews has addressed the illegal trials taking place in Baku, presenting assessments from human rights and international criminal law expert, Professor Irene Victoria Massimino, and Ruben Vardanyan's son, David Vardanyan.
"The charges against Ruben Vardanyan and others are purely political. In the broader context of persecution against Armenians, especially those from Artsakh, these charges are solely based on political motives. They are fabricated by Azerbaijan," said legal expert, human rights, and international criminal law specialist, Professor Irene Victoria Massimino, as reported by Panorama.am.
Massimino is among four lawyers from the California-based Center for Truth and Justice who have applied for Azerbaijani visas to attend the trials. However, they have yet to receive any response from Baku, which, according to the expert, likely no longer matters. Massimino emphasized that expecting justice from the trial is pointless, as its outcome is predetermined, with "zero" chance of a fair verdict.
"I often cite Freedom House's report on Azerbaijan: the country scores seven out of 100 points. It is an absolutely unfree country, and the main reasons in Freedom House's latest report are precisely the blockade of Artsakh and the persecution of Armenians. Thus, these are show trials. They are absolutely unjust and based on political charges," Massimino stated.
The article notes that during the blockade, the most prominent public representative of the people of Karabakh is Ruben Vardanyan. He has repeatedly appeared in international media, highlighting the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, which, according to the author, is the main reason for Baku's dissatisfaction. His son, David Vardanyan, believes that this advocacy is precisely what led Azerbaijan to specifically target Vardanyan.
"I think that the level of attention my father brought to Nagorno-Karabakh after deciding to live there was not part of Azerbaijan's plan. They hoped to gradually make it an impossible place to live and slowly drive people out, conducting a sort of 'quiet ethnic cleansing' that the world wouldn't notice. So, it's very evident that they were unhappy with the attention now being given to the injustices occurring there," said David Vardanyan.
"Ultimately, Baku got its opportunity to directly punish Ruben—a chance that Azerbaijan's government is clearly enjoying. By conducting such show trials against Ruben and his 15 compatriots, Azerbaijan hopes to flex its muscles and intimidate both its neighbors, like Armenia, and its own citizens. For Azerbaijan, this is a trophy; they finally have the leaders of Artsakh's authorities who have been fighting for self-determination all this time," Massimino observed.
According to the publication, despite the absence of any element of justice in these trials, the international community's response to this issue remains almost unnoticed. Except for a PACE resolution calling on Azerbaijan to release the Armenian leaders of Karabakh and Armenian prisoners of war held by Baku, reactions from Western countries have been minimal, if any.
"The lack of attention from the international community to these trials astonishes me. Both 'caviar diplomacy' and Azerbaijan's energy resources—oil and gas—contribute to this. They have strong ties with many European countries, and this is also a conflict that, since 2020, has received much less attention than other conflicts. I don't understand why the media has paid so little attention, especially to the blockade. An entire people have been blockaded for nine months, and no one pays attention," Massimino said.
In the absence of significant international pressure, it is evident that Azerbaijan will continue its show trials. Massimino emphasizes that under these conditions, Western countries should take more effective measures.
"Beyond talking about the issue, [Western countries] should start reconsidering their economic relations with this authoritarian regime. The level of impunity that Azerbaijan enjoys is very, very high. Therefore, sanctions would be one option, perhaps severing some economic ties, to force the regime to release these prisoners—both prisoners of war and former leaders," Massimino said.
David Vardanyan also emphasized that Azerbaijan has completely closed the trial to the outside world.
"They are now even threatening to disbar the lawyer we had great difficulty finding to defend my father's interests. They have rejected all the lawyer's motions to extend the trial, gain internet access, everything that could allow him to properly prepare. They completely ignore both international law and even their own laws. All we can do is try to make this sham trial as visible to the public as possible," he said.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that psychotropic substances are being administered to the former military-political leaders of Artsakh held in Baku's prison. He added that there is intelligence data on this and that the aim is to provoke escalation. Baku denies these accusations.
