Investigative Call for Pashinyan from Ex-Nagorno-Karabakh Minister Vardanyan
Ruben Vardanyan, a former State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, is currently standing trial in Azerbaijan. The trial began following Vardanyan's detention by Azerbaijani authorities in September 2023, when he attempted to leave Nagorno-Karabakh alongside the region's Armenian population, following Azerbaijan's final assault on the region.
Vardanyan has been accused of various charges, including illegally crossing Azerbaijan's territory in September 2022, financially supporting and providing 'illegally acquire[d] and import[ed]' military equipment to 'armed formations and groups' in Nagorno-Karabakh, and plotting an action plan for a 'terrorist' operation against Azerbaijani diplomats abroad.
Vardanyan has expressed dissatisfaction with how his case is being handled by a military court, given he had never held any military position. In response, he has submitted motions to the Baku Military Court requesting it to question 'certain individuals', including Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, unnamed members of the OSCE Minsk Group, and representatives of the Red Cross in Azerbaijan.
However, the court has rejected these motions, stating that Vardanyan is charged with military offences. The court also ruled that a decision regarding the sequence of evidence examination had already been made and would not consider Vardanyan's motion.
Vardanyan's family announced that they submitted an urgent action complaint against Azerbaijan for its alleged use of torture and ill-treatment against Vardanyan to the UN's Special Rapporteur on Torture. Vardanyan has twice gone on hunger strike in protest against his imprisonment, resulting in him appearing significantly emaciated.
Before his appointment, Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship and moved to Nagorno-Karabakh in September. Vardanyan was appointed as a state minister in November 2022 and served for less than four months. Following one of his latest court sessions, Vardanyan's lawyer claimed that he was being blamed for actions that occurred before his arrival in Nagorno-Karabakh or his appointment to any state positions.
Armenia claimed Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan had been subjected to torture, citing evidence observed in photos published by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has officially acknowledged it has 23 Armenian prisoners in its custody, including former Nagorno-Karabakh officials. Independent or international media are not allowed to cover the ongoing trials against Armenians held in Azerbaijan.
The hearings regarding the allegations against Nikol Pashinyan in connection with the trial of Ruben Vardanyan were conducted in Armenia in 2023. This development further complicates the already tense relations between the two nations. The outcome of Vardanyan's trial and the fate of other Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan remain uncertain, with concerns growing over the treatment of these prisoners and the fairness of the trials.
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