Yerevan, Armenia (OTS/PRNewswire) – Overwhelming international support and pressure lead Azerbaijan to allow communication with family after twenty days of isolation as the humanitarian and economic leader’s health deteriorates
Members of the family confirmed that thanks to growing international public and government attention, illegally detained philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan was today granted permission to speak to his wife Veronika. This is only the second call to his family after nearly three weeks of solitary confinement since Mr. Vardanyan went on hunger strike on April 5.
The strike began on April 5, 2024, after calls for a fair and transparent process that complied with international legal standards were repeatedly ignored. His trial was originally scheduled for January, but was then postponed until May without explanation.
The family eventually managed to ask Mr. Vardanyan to end the hunger strike given his deteriorating health. In their short conversation, they were able to inform him about the growing pressure on Azerbaijan from government representatives from all over the world. After hearing about this global movement to free Armenian prisoners and hearing his family’s pleas, Mr. Vardanyan reluctantly agreed to pause his hunger strike for the sake of his family.
Several initiatives have been taken in recent weeks, including the US Congress’s proposal to sanction senior Azerbaijani government officials for the illegal detention of political prisoners, as well as the EU Parliament’s resolution tabled today, April 25. In addition, rallies in support of the release of political prisoners were held yesterday in the United States, France and Armenia on the occasion of the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Mr Vardanyan remains imprisoned in Baku and faces deterioration in prison conditions. After his hunger strike began, he was denied regular telephone conversations with his family, adding to Azerbaijan’s list of violations of international norms. Mr Vardanyan was also placed in complete isolation and had no access to adequate medical care apart from occasional blood pressure checks. There remain serious concerns about his actual health.
“We are very concerned about my father’s deteriorating health, although his bravery does not surprise us,” said David Vardanyan, one of Mr. Vardanyan’s sons. “Despite our initial relief, my father’s condition continues to deteriorate. The world has Azerbaijan demonstrated that it is closely following the fate of the Armenian prisoners, including my father, and on behalf of our family I would like to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time. I hope that this growing international attention will lead to his release in the near future “We call on the international community to further increase pressure on Azerbaijan to ensure that at least its trial takes place in May 2024 in the presence of international observers.”
The State Department’s annual human rights report, released April 23, confirms the unfair conditions faced by Mr. Vardanyan and other political prisoners and detainees in Azerbaijan. In the Report on Azerbaijan It is estimated that the country had about 254 political prisoners and detainees as of December 2023. The judiciary was also described as largely corrupt, inefficient and lacking in independence. According to the report, defendants in Azerbaijan are often “deprived of the right to the presumption of innocence, to a fair, timely and public trial, to contact with a lawyer of their choice, to adequate time and opportunities to prepare the defense, to confront and present witnesses own witnesses and evidence as well as the right not to be forced to testify or admit guilt.
Mr. Vardanyan is one of eight former officials arrested last September when Azerbaijani government armed forces invaded the Nagorno-Karabakh region, triggering the mass exodus of its 120,000 residents. Now, more than 200 days later, the eight Armenian leaders face a series of politically motivated charges.
Mr. Vardanyan is a well-known Armenian philanthropist and businessman, a father of four children and a loving husband who has been unlawfully detained for over 200 days.
He is now being charged with false accusations and is being held in poor conditions. Its trial is not expected to meet international standards, including those allowing international observers access to the proceedings. Mr. Vardanyan’s case is also separate from the other seven political prisoners, raising questions about whether he is being singled out for political reasons.
For more information, see www.freearmenianprisoners.com
Jere Sullivan, Edelman Global Advisory Jere. sullivan@edelmanega.com
Free Armenian Prisoners contact@freearmenianprisoners.com
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