The Baku Military Court has sentenced businessman and philanthropist, former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison on what are described as fabricated charges, according to Minval.az .

Under the verdict, Vardanyan will serve 10 years in prison followed by 10 years in a strict-regime penal colony.

Vardanyan’s family issued a statement saying the ruling handed down in Baku resembles a sentence against the Armenian people as a whole.

They called on international leaders, in line with international law, to take all appropriate measures to ensure the release of Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners and to protect their rights.

Vardanyan was accused of “crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism and financing terrorism,” although he never participated in military operations and was not present in Artsakh during the war.

Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking in Munich in response to questions from France 24, rejected the possibility of granting pardons to former Artsakh leaders. He confirmed that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance had raised the issue of Armenian detainees during a visit to Baku, adding that he had outlined Baku’s position and that the discussion ended there.