Ruben Vardanyan, a prominent Armenian businessman and former Nagorno-Karabakh premier, has issued another defiant statement from an Azerbaijani prison as he faced a life sentence at the end of his trial in Baku.
According to Vardanyan’s family in Armenia, he read out the statement to his elder son, David, in a phone call on Wednesday, December 17.
It came as Azerbaijani prosecutors demanded that Vardanyan be sentenced to life in prison. They also demanded life sentences for most of the seven other former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, standing a separate trial in Baku. Like Vardanyan, the latter were captured by Azerbaijan during or shortly after its September 2023 military offensive that forced Karabakh’s entire population to flee to Armenia and restored Azerbaijani control over the region. All of the defendants deny a long list of accusations levelled against them.
Vardanyan, who held the second-highest post in Karabakh’s leadership from November 2022 to February 2023, was arrested at an Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor during the exodus. He stands accused, among other things, of “financing terrorism,” illegally entering Karabakh, and supplying its armed forces with military equipment.
The Armenian government is accused by its domestic critics of doing little to try to secure the release of these and 15 Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan. It denies the accusations that were echoed by Vardanyan’s American lawyer, Jared Genser, earlier this year.
In a June interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, Genser pointed out that a draft Armenian-Azerbaijan peace treaty finalized in March does not address the fate of the prisoners and instead commits the two sides to withdrawing their international lawsuits filed against each other.
Message from Ruben Vardanyan’s Family
Yesterday, Ruben Vardanyan had a phone conversation with his eldest son, David.
According to Ruben, he is expected to be given the opportunity to make his final statement in court in the near future. In his remarks, he intends to emphasize the following:
“I do not recognize what is happening as a judicial process and do not intend to participate in an imitation of justice. The proceedings taking place in Baku do not meet the basic standards of a fair trial and therefore cannot be regarded as a court in the true sense of the word.
“I regret nothing. All my actions were taken consciously and voluntarily, fully understanding the possible consequences. I am ready to answer for my actions before God. The only thing I regret is that I was not able to do more.
“I reaffirm: Artsakh was, is, and will be – regardless of attempts to rewrite history or impose an alternative interpretation of events.“
Ruben also wished to share the following thoughts and to thank everyone who continues to support him:
“One should not fear death or try to ‘defeat’ it. It is not death that is frightening. What is truly frightening is indifference – a state that enters us quietly and gradually, like radiation, and destroys us from within.
“One should not be afraid to follow one’s own path: to search, to make mistakes, and to explore the world throughout life. The most important thing is to walk one’s path consciously.
“What matters most is not to cause harm, not to destroy the delicate balance that exists in nature and in the world. We are all particles of a vast shared space that can exist only in harmony.
“Cherish your words. A word can wound deeply, but it can also give a powerful impulse for growth, support, and creation.
“I am grateful that I can serve my people. I thank all those who have stood by me – and continue to stand by me – during this difficult period.”