All those who believe in justice must continue the struggle for the release of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, his friend and business partner Noubar Afeyan wrote on X. Afeyan co-founded the Aurora Prize with Vardanyan.

He described the verdict as absurd.

“I have just learned that my longtime friend and partner in philanthropy, Ruben Vardanyan, who has been unjustly imprisoned for defending Armenian sovereignty and security in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), has been sentenced by his captors in Azerbaijan to 20 years in prison. This is a disgrace; this is absurd.

Everyone around the world who believes in peace and justice, decency and integrity, must continue the fight for his release, and I will continue to do so. Ruben’s family has expressed it best: this is a verdict against the entire Armenian people,” the post reads.

A court in Baku sentenced Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison. On December 18, 2025, the prosecutor had sought life imprisonment for him. Vardanyan’s case was examined in separate proceedings.