The sham trial of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan continued in Baku on February 17, where segments of the prosecution's indictment were presented.

The charges were also directed at Armenia and its former leaders.

According to the indictment, "the military operations were initiated by the Armenian state and a criminal group led and coordinated by Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan, Vazgen Manukyan, Vazgen Sargsyan, Samvel Babayan, Vitali Balasanyan, Zori Balayan, Seyran Ohanyan, Arshavir Gharamyan, Monte Melkonian, and others," Minval.az reports.

It is emphasized that the "aggression was carried out under centralized leadership, with the direct involvement and support of Armenia’s leadership, armed forces, and illegal armed formations."

According to the fabricated indictment, Armenia opened fire on Azerbaijani positions on September 12-14, 2022, during which "77 Azerbaijani servicemen were killed and 435 wounded."

The judge then asked Ruben Vardanyan whether he accepted or denied the charges. Vardanyan refused to answer, expressing his protest against the accusations, Minval.az reports.

The next court session is scheduled for February 25.

Earlier, human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, who represents Armenian POWs at the ECHR, shared details of Vardanyan's trial based on information from his legal team. She revealed that, apart from the case being fabricated and consisting of 422 volumes in Azerbaijani, the translator assigned to Vardanyan failed to provide even an adequate verbal translation, making serious mistakes.

At the end of December 2024, Vardanyan's case was transferred to the Baku Military Court. He stated that Azerbaijani investigators had falsified interrogation records and demanded an open trial with international journalists and humanitarian organizations present.

Vardanyan’s case is being heard separately. He faces nearly 45 new charges under 20 articles of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code and risks life imprisonment. On January 27, the court rejected his request for house arrest.