A protest in support of Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners held in Baku took place near the Tatev cableway. The demonstration was announced by Marat Gerasimyan, a member of the Country to Live party council, on his Facebook page.
Residents of Tatev, Goris, and Tegh gathered to express their outrage over the staged trials and inhumane treatment of Armenian captives in Azerbaijan.
The protesters called on the Armenian government, the international community, and accredited diplomats in Armenia to take decisive action for the immediate release of Armenian prisoners.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement emphasizing its ongoing efforts to draw international attention to the plight of Armenian POWs, hostages, and detainees held in Azerbaijan. The ministry also denounced the blatant legal violations and signs of torture in the show trials against some of them.
Human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan reported that recent photos of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan revealed visible injuries on his body. Vardanyan has been on a hunger strike for a week. During his last court hearing, his condition deteriorated sharply, and photos from the session showed bruises on his face. Despite this, the court forced him to attend the proceedings. His international legal representative recently warned that his life is in serious danger.