Armenian Prisoner's Legal Team Condemns Azerbaijan's New False Charges Threatening Life Imprisonment
In a dramatic escalation of tactics by the Azerbaijani government, prosecutors have unsealed an extensive array of approximately 45 new charges against Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian humanitarian and political prisoner. These developments come in the wake of severe criticism directed at Azerbaijan for its handling of the recent COP29 climate summit, during which the country's dire human rights situation was sharply criticized internationally.
The charges against Vardanyan span 20 different articles of Azerbaijani criminal law, and the evidence presented against him has been labeled as fabricated and politically motivated. With a staggering 25,000 pages of documents divided into 100 volumes, all written in Azerbaijani, the regime's desperation to justify the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and the illegal detention of its former leaders is evident.
Significantly, these alleged evidences are being kept secret from Vardanyan and the public, allegedly for reasons of national security. The Azerbaijani regime has declined to provide copies of the purported evidence to Vardanyan and his legal team, who can only access this material under restrictive conditions, without proper translation and limited time for review. Their right to take notes during these review sessions is also severely restricted, further hampering Vardanyan's already limited ability to prepare a defense for an upcoming trial.
Jared Genser, Vardanyan's legal representative, stated, 'These accusations represent a blatant violation of Azerbaijan's obligations under international law. The list of charges—an overtly shameless attempt to offload the blame for all actions of the Azerbaijani regime in Nagorno-Karabakh onto Ruben—along with Azerbaijan's refusal to disclose or publish all charges and the so-called evidence against him for review, only reinforces the belief that these charges are politically motivated.' He further emphasized that no objective observer would conclude that credible evidence supporting the accusations exists.
Vardanyan's family has voiced alarm over these new charges, interpreting them as reflective of President Ilham Aliyev's increasing campaign to silence dissent. They are calling on the democratic world to demonstrate that such blatant human rights violations cannot be tolerated and to ensure the presence of international organizations and media during the trial.
David Vardanyan, Ruben's son, criticized the new allegations, declaring, 'The latest charges against my father are a parody of justice and a retaliatory measure for COP29's failure, directed towards an innocent scapegoat. Ruben served as the Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh for three months, working to improve the living conditions of its citizens through meaningful social programs. Unfortunately, he has been met with the threat of life imprisonment by one of the world's most corrupt regimes. His arrest and the recent false charges symbolize to Armenians worldwide that no one is safe. Our family has not seen Ruben for over two years. If the democratic world does not intervene and halt this farce, we fear we may never see him again.'
Despite Vardanyan having already spent over a year in illegal detention under the Azerbaijani regime, the most recent escalation draws attention to a new alarming low for Aliyev's authoritarian government. Freedom House currently rates Azerbaijan at seven points out of a possible hundred on its global freedom score, placing it behind countries such as Somalia, Myanmar, and Venezuela when it comes to political and civil liberties.
This latest situation underscores the systematic erosion of fundamental rights in Azerbaijan and highlights the regime's ongoing efforts to stifle dissent and consolidate power. Last September, Azerbaijani armed forces invaded the Armenian autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, displacing 120,000 Armenian Christians. During this exodus, Vardanyan and seven other former officials were arrested and are facing fabricated and politically motivated charges.
Vardanyan, who served as the Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from November 2022 to February 2023, is currently being held under conditions that violate international law. His staged political trial, already delayed several times, is anticipated to fall far short of numerous international standards. The attention and response from the global community could play a crucial role in shaping the outcome of such flagrant infringements on justice and human rights.
The charges against Vardanyan span 20 different articles of Azerbaijani criminal law, and the evidence presented against him has been labeled as fabricated and politically motivated. With a staggering 25,000 pages of documents divided into 100 volumes, all written in Azerbaijani, the regime's desperation to justify the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and the illegal detention of its former leaders is evident.
Significantly, these alleged evidences are being kept secret from Vardanyan and the public, allegedly for reasons of national security. The Azerbaijani regime has declined to provide copies of the purported evidence to Vardanyan and his legal team, who can only access this material under restrictive conditions, without proper translation and limited time for review. Their right to take notes during these review sessions is also severely restricted, further hampering Vardanyan's already limited ability to prepare a defense for an upcoming trial.
Jared Genser, Vardanyan's legal representative, stated, 'These accusations represent a blatant violation of Azerbaijan's obligations under international law. The list of charges—an overtly shameless attempt to offload the blame for all actions of the Azerbaijani regime in Nagorno-Karabakh onto Ruben—along with Azerbaijan's refusal to disclose or publish all charges and the so-called evidence against him for review, only reinforces the belief that these charges are politically motivated.' He further emphasized that no objective observer would conclude that credible evidence supporting the accusations exists.
Vardanyan's family has voiced alarm over these new charges, interpreting them as reflective of President Ilham Aliyev's increasing campaign to silence dissent. They are calling on the democratic world to demonstrate that such blatant human rights violations cannot be tolerated and to ensure the presence of international organizations and media during the trial.
David Vardanyan, Ruben's son, criticized the new allegations, declaring, 'The latest charges against my father are a parody of justice and a retaliatory measure for COP29's failure, directed towards an innocent scapegoat. Ruben served as the Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh for three months, working to improve the living conditions of its citizens through meaningful social programs. Unfortunately, he has been met with the threat of life imprisonment by one of the world's most corrupt regimes. His arrest and the recent false charges symbolize to Armenians worldwide that no one is safe. Our family has not seen Ruben for over two years. If the democratic world does not intervene and halt this farce, we fear we may never see him again.'
Despite Vardanyan having already spent over a year in illegal detention under the Azerbaijani regime, the most recent escalation draws attention to a new alarming low for Aliyev's authoritarian government. Freedom House currently rates Azerbaijan at seven points out of a possible hundred on its global freedom score, placing it behind countries such as Somalia, Myanmar, and Venezuela when it comes to political and civil liberties.
This latest situation underscores the systematic erosion of fundamental rights in Azerbaijan and highlights the regime's ongoing efforts to stifle dissent and consolidate power. Last September, Azerbaijani armed forces invaded the Armenian autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, displacing 120,000 Armenian Christians. During this exodus, Vardanyan and seven other former officials were arrested and are facing fabricated and politically motivated charges.
Vardanyan, who served as the Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from November 2022 to February 2023, is currently being held under conditions that violate international law. His staged political trial, already delayed several times, is anticipated to fall far short of numerous international standards. The attention and response from the global community could play a crucial role in shaping the outcome of such flagrant infringements on justice and human rights.
Topics Policy & Public Interest）
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