Ruben Vardanyan files case with European Court of Human Rights over Azerbaijan conviction

By Siranush Adamyan

Human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan said she has filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on behalf of the former Nagorno-Karabakh state minister and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan, alleging multiple violations of the European Convention on Human Rights during his prosecution and imprisonment in Azerbaijan.

In a statement published on Vardanyan's Facebook page, Sahakyan said she submitted the application on July 19 and would represent Vardanyan before the Strasbourg-based court.

"The application details violations of eight articles of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, supported by comprehensive legal and factual arguments," Sahakyan said.

According to the lawyer, the case challenges both the conduct of Vardanyan's trial and the legal basis of his conviction.

The Baku Military Court sentenced Vardanyan to 20 years in prison on Feb. 17 after finding him guilty on 41 counts under 21 articles of Azerbaijan's Criminal Code.

Sahakyan argued that the judgment failed to establish Vardanyan's individual criminal responsibility with evidence.

"Vardanyan's individual guilt was not substantiated by facts or evidence in the verdict," she said.

Instead, she said, the court concluded that the administration of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic constituted a "criminal community" that had operated since 1988, and ruled that Vardanyan joined it in December 2020, despite living in Moscow at the time.

According to Sahakyan, the verdict characterized Vardanyan's appointment to a civilian government position in Nagorno-Karabakh as a violent seizure of power, treated his commercial and charitable activities as illegal entrepreneurship and financing of terrorism, and considered his entry into the region via the Lachin Corridor an illegal crossing of Azerbaijan's border.

Sahakyan said Vardanyan chose not to appeal the conviction in Azerbaijan because he considered the proceedings politically motivated and domestic legal remedies ineffective.

"It is impossible to protect one's rights within a system that inherently denies the right to a fair trial," she said. "In these circumstances, he chose to seek justice through international legal mechanisms."

Vardanyan, a Russian-Armenian businessman who renounced his Russian citizenship before moving to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022, served briefly as the region's state minister. He was detained by Azerbaijani authorities in September 2023 after Azerbaijan regained full control of the territory following a military offensive that prompted the exodus of its entire ethnic Armenian population.

Azerbaijan accuses Vardanyan of terrorism, financing armed groups and other serious crimes. He rejected the charges as politically motivated.

Vardanyan is one of 19 Armenian detainees currently held in Azerbaijan, including former political leaders and military officials from Nagorno-Karabakh. International human rights organizations and Vardanyan's legal team have repeatedly raised concerns over their detention conditions and the fairness of the trials.