Is Azerbaijan Fabricating Armenian Witnesses to Convict Ruben Vardanyan?

An Azerbaijani military court resumed the sham trial of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan on March 11. Vardanyan, who has been on a hunger strike since February 19 to protest what he calls a lack of fair legal procedures, appeared visibly weak during the court session.

Azerbaijan has officially admitted to holding 23 Armenian prisoners, despite an international obligation to release all prisoners of war and detainees following the 2020 Artsakh War (Nagorno-Karabakh war). Observers and human rights activists have raised concerns about the fairness of these trials, which they describe as politically motivated and lacking transparency.

During the latest court session in Baku, two individuals, identified by Azerbaijani authorities as Armenians named Kamo Araratyan and Mushegh Grigoryan, reportedly testified against Vardanyan. However, their identities remain unverified, and some Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh have claimed on social media that these names belong to deceased individuals. This has raised suspicions that the Azerbaijani authorities may have fabricated testimony using false identities.

Critics argue that Vardanyan’s trial lacks key elements of a fair judicial process. His legal representation remains unclear, and there are no independent observers or international media present at the hearings. The Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) had requested that non-Armenian observers be allowed to attend the trial, but their request was reportedly ignored by Azerbaijani authorities.

There are also concerns that if the alleged Armenian witnesses are indeed in Azerbaijan, they may have been coerced into testifying against Vardanyan. Without due process, it is impossible to determine whether their testimonies were made freely or under duress.

As Vardanyan’s trial continues, his health remains a major concern. His ongoing hunger strike has now reached 21 days, and he appears increasingly frail. His lawyer, Jared Genser, has warned that his client’s life may be in danger if his condition continues to deteriorate without medical intervention.

Vardanyan was taken hostage in September 2023 following Azerbaijan’s military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh. Over 120,000 ethnic Armenians were forced to flee their homeland, with only a small number of elderly or vulnerable individuals remaining in the region. Since becoming a POW, Vardanyan has faced charges of “financing terrorism” and “illegally entering” Nagorno-Karabakh—accusations that he and his supporters strongly deny.

Many international experts and officials have condemned the charges against Vardanyan as politically motivated. Former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, has described the case as a “show trial” designed to justify Azerbaijan’s actions in Nagorno-Karabakh and to silence Armenian political figures.

Meanwhile, Arshak Abrahamyan, founder of the "Artsakh Security and Development Front," has urged Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh to help verify the identities of the two individuals used as witnesses against Vardanyan. In a social media post, he expressed disbelief that any true Artsakh resident would testify against Vardanyan and called for efforts to determine whether these individuals are real or merely fabricated identities.

As the trial proceeds, calls for international intervention and oversight continue to grow.

Vardanyan has urged world leaders and human rights organizations to step in and ensure a fair trial. However, with Azerbaijan showing little willingness to allow external scrutiny, it remains uncertain whether justice will be served.

For now, Ruben Vardanyan remains in Azerbaijani custody, his fate uncertain as his health deteriorates. The international community watches closely, but the question remains—will justice prevail, or will this trial be yet another chapter in a long history of Azerbaijani persecution?