Ruben Vardanyan: If You Are Reading This, I Have Exhausted All Other Means

After 15 months of unlawful detainment in Azerbaijan, Ruben Vardanyan, former State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, faces trial under conditions that blatantly disregard international standards of transparency and justice. Scheduled to begin on January 17, the trial exposes a troubling pattern of politically and religiously motivated persecution, raising alarms within the global human rights community.

Ruben Vardanyan’s nightmare began on September 27, 2023, when he was detained during Azerbaijan’s military invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh. This operation forcibly displaced 120,000 indigenous residents and drew widespread condemnation. Since then:

• September 29, 2023: Prominent global humanitarian leaders, including Mary Robinson and Oscar Arias, signed a letter of solidarity with Vardanyan.

• April 19, 2024: Concerns for his safety grew as his family revealed he had been on a two-week hunger strike.

• July 12, 2024: Azerbaijan faced criticism for intensifying human rights abuses ahead of COP29.

• January 5, 2025: Authorities unveiled a series of dubious charges against Vardanyan, some carrying the prospect of life imprisonment.

  
  

Since his imprisonment, Vardanyan has endured extreme isolation, spending 340 days in solitary confinement and 23 days in a punishment cell. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture intervened during a hunger strike that jeopardized his health. His legal team has faced systemic obstacles, including restricted access to untranslated case materials. Between December 9, 2024, and January 8, 2025, they were given only a month to review 422 volumes of documents written exclusively in Azerbaijani, a language Vardanyan does not understand. Despite these challenges, Vardanyan has maintained his innocence and refused to sign falsified protocols.

This trial is part of a broader effort by President Ilham Aliyev’s regime to suppress dissent and consolidate power. Vardanyan’s case shows Azerbaijan’s ongoing violations of Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees the right to a fair trial. Human rights organizations have documented similar patterns of arbitrary detentions and politically motivated prosecutions targeting Armenian prisoners.

In a powerful message conveyed to his family on January 16, 2025, Vardanyan outlined the injustices he has faced and called for international support. He emphasized the lack of due process, coercion of his legal team, and the artificial separation of his case from related proceedings. Despite the adversities, Vardanyan remains steadfast in his belief in nonviolence, truth, and love as pathways to peace.

Ahead of the trial, Vardanyan issued several demands to ensure a fair process:

1. Adequate time and resources to prepare his defense, including access to translated case materials.

2. Rejection of all falsified evidence.

3. A public trial with international observers.

4. Consolidation of his case with those of other Armenian detainees to ensure transparency.

The lack of transparency in Vardanyan’s trial shows the urgency for international attention. Humanitarian organizations and foreign governments must hold Azerbaijan accountable for its systemic abuses and demand justice for all political prisoners. Vardanyan’s case is not only a test of Azerbaijan’s legal system but also a reflection of the broader struggle for human rights in authoritarian regimes.

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Ruben Vardanyan’s Full Statement:  

January 16, 2025

“I would like to address the global community, to those who care about what is happening in our region, those opposed to religious persecution worldwide and those who wish for a lasting and genuine peace.

I, Ruben Vardanyan, have been detained at the Detention Center of the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan since September 27, 2023 – more than 470 days in total, including 340 days in solitary confinement and 23 days in a punishment cell. I would like to make an official statement before the start of the trial. If you are reading these words, it means that I have exhausted all other means to convey the truth about what is happening here.

A court hearing of my case is scheduled for January 17 at 3:00 PM. I have been informed that I am facing 42 charges, some of which carry sentences up to life imprisonment. However, I have not been granted the opportunity to fully review the official indictment. My lawyer and I were merely allowed to skim through 422 volumes of the case files, all written solely in the Azerbaijani language, which I do not understand, within a very short timeframe – from December 9, 2024, to January 8, 2025. I only received the list of charges in Russian on January 8, 2025.

Moreover, pressure has been exerted on me, my lawyer, and my interpreter to force us to backdate and sign documents, including falsified protocols and records of interrogations that never took place.

I officially declare: I have given no testimony since the day of my arrest, except during the first interrogation, where I only stated my name and surname. Let me reiterate: all protocols bearing my signature are falsifications. These documents do not exist in reality. My lawyer and interpreter were coerced into signing these documents.

I once again reiterate and state my complete innocence and the innocence of my Armenian compatriots also being held as political prisoners and demand an immediate end to this politically motivated case against us.

Despite our innocence and the political motivation of this trial, it is most likely that the prosecutor will ignore my plea and pursue a trial against us, in which case I demand and ask for your support in ensuring that I am afforded the following:

1. Allow me and my lawyer adequate time and opportunity to prepare for my defense. In particular, provide us with the opportunity to thoroughly review the case materials in a language I understand.

2. Eliminate all procedural violations and falsifications. Specifically, deem inadmissible all falsified documents and records of interrogations that never took place, as I have not provided any testimony since the day of my arrest.

3. Make my trial, and those of the Armenian political prisoners, public. I insist on the most open trial possible, with the participation of international journalists and representatives of humanitarian organizations. 

4. Consolidate my case with the cases of the others accused. More than 400 of the 422 volumes in my case concern episodes from the general case of which only 6 are specifically related to false accusations against me. Separating my case into a separate proceeding is an artificial and unfounded decision.

I bear no anger or hatred. On the contrary, I genuinely empathize with all those who violate laws, moral principles, and the teachings of the Quran and other holy texts.

I am convinced that true peace will only be possible when the leaders of the countries involved in the conflict, with the support of their societies, can come together to lay flowers on the graves of all those who perished in this war.

I promise to do everything possible to ensure this happens during my lifetime. As the great Mahatma Gandhi said, the only way to save the world from self-destruction is to live by the principles of nonviolence, truth, and love. Through compassion for all people, regardless of their skin color, nationality, or religion, we can achieve true peace.

Thank you all for your support! I love and thank you all for your kindness toward me. Know that I am standing strong and believe that the truth will prevail.

Ruben Vardanyan