Ruben Vardanyan stops hunger strike in Azerbaijani prison
YEREVAN, March 13. /ARКА/. During a phone call relayed through his family, Ruben Vardanyan, a former state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, being tried in Azerbaijan, sent two audio messages from a Baku prison: he requested that one be published today and the other on Sunday. He also stated that his next statement will only be made at the final court session — and only if representatives of the international community are present.
In the audio message released today, Vardanyan emphasizes that his hunger strike was not merely a protest but an effort to draw attention to the injustice of the trial and the broader situation faced by Armenians:
'I had several goals when I did this, when I declared my hunger strike: to show that there is no trial, but a farce; to show that it is not me who is being judged, but all Armenians and the state itself; and to show the price that had to be paid by all those who, in their hearts, would have been happy to stay and live here (in Artsakh), and not leave,' he said.
On February 27, 28 Armenian organizations sent an open letter to the President of the ICRC, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, urging her to call for the immediate release of Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian political prisoners unlawfully held in Azerbaijan.
On the same day, the Aznavour Foundation and 10 Armenian organizations appealed to the international community to take urgent and decisive action regarding the cruel treatment of Ruben Vardanyan in Azerbaijan, and to take a firm stance against the Aliyev regime.
On February 28, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing concern over reports about the "trials" of 23 Armenian prisoners, as well as information released by their lawyers. This included news about Ruben Vardanyan, who was on a hunger strike, and the pressure, torture, and apparent deterioration of the prisoners' health.
During the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk specifically addressed the issue of arbitrarily detained persons, including ethnic Armenians, in Azerbaijan. In his comprehensive report, he stated that “they must be released immediately and their right to a fair trial must be fully respected.”
This information was shared by the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN Office in Geneva, operating under the Armenian Embassy in Switzerland.
The High Commissioner also emphasized that he is closely following the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, expressing hope that they “will lead to the search for truth, healing and reconciliation.” He reiterated his readiness to support this process.-0-
