Ruben Vardanyan sentenced to 20 years by Azerbaijan

A Baku military court has sentenced Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison. 

Vardanyan, a philanthropist and former Artsakh State Minister, was the last of the known Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan whose sentence had not yet been announced. 

In a statement, Vardanyan’s family called the verdict “devastating, though not unexpected,” due to the fact that “from the moment of his arbitrary detention 874 days ago, it became evident that the outcome of this process had been predetermined.” 

The sentence comes as a surprise to some observers, as Azerbaijani prosecutors sought a life sentence for Vardanyan. He had been charged separately from the other defendants, with accusations including financing terrorism, creating illegal armed groups, and illegally crossing Azerbaijan’s state border.

In his closing statement last week, Vardanyan refused to mount a defense and described the proceedings as “an imitation of justice,” arguing that the trial did not meet basic standards of fairness. According to a press release containing details of an audio message he sent to his family, he spoke to the court instead about “dignity, responsibility, and peace,” and recited Azerbaijani poetry. 

Vardanyan said he repeated three times, despite attempts to interrupt him, that “Artsakh has existed, Artsakh exists, and Artsakh will exist in an existential sense. It was, it is, and it will be.” He also said peace is impossible if one side is forced to humiliate itself, and argued that Armenia and Azerbaijan must exist as equal neighbors. 

Earlier this month, Azerbaijan sentenced the seven other former Artsakh leaders who remain in captivity. Only two avoided life sentences, former presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, who each received 20-year sentences due to their age. 

There have been many calls on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to release the prisoners, such as in a European Parliament resolution which passed overwhelmingly this month. However Aliyev ruled out the possibility in an interview this past weekend with the outlet France24, in which he called the Artsakh leaders “worse than Nazis.” 

CivilNet reported that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen assured a group of European Parliament lawmakers last November that the issue of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan is being addressed at the “highest political level.” 

US Vice President JD Vance also raised the issue with Aliyev during his visit to Baku last week. 

Vardanyan’s family says they will continue [...] efforts to secure his release and the release of all Armenian detainees held on politically motivated grounds. “We call on international leaders to take all appropriate measures, consistent with international law, to ensure their freedom and protect their rights,” the statement said.