On November 5, 2025, Ruben Vardanyan, in a phone call with his son David from Baku prison, asked to share three of his thoughts:
“Artsakh was, is, and will be.”
“Believe in yourself — as a part of God, in goodness, and in light.”
“A true hero is one who can ignite hope where none remains; one who becomes a support for others when they have lost faith.”
Ruben Vardanyan — businessman, philanthropist, and Artsakh’s former State Minister — has been unjustly imprisoned in Baku, Azerbaijan for 2 years and 1 month as of today.
After the devastating aftermath of Azerbaijan’s 2020 war against Armenia and Artsakh, between December 2022 and September 2023 Azerbaijan imposed a nine-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor — Artsakh’s only humanitarian lifeline — defying an International Court of Justice order to keep the road open and depriving the Armenian population of food, medicine, and essential supplies. In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a final military assault on Artsakh, resulting in the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of over 100,000 indigenous Armenians from their ancestral homeland.
In the days that followed, Azerbaijani authorities illegally arrested Artsakh’s top political and military leadership and transported them to Baku. Detainees include former Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan; former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan; Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan; former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan; former Defense Minister Levon Mnatsakanyan; and former Deputy Commander of the Defense Army Davit Manukyan, among others. They face fabricated charges that could lead to life imprisonment.
Their sham trials began in Baku in January 2024 following months of pre-trial detention. As of October 31, 2025, the court hearings against the military-political leadership of Artsakh (with the exception of the case of Ruben Vardanyan) have concluded; the next step is the prosecution’s closing statement, followed by final arguments, after which verdicts are expected — though none have yet been announced.
In the meantime, at least 23 confirmed Armenian prisoners of war and civilian detainees remain unlawfully imprisoned in Azerbaijan, including 16 captured during the September 2023 forced exodus. These individuals have now spent over two years in Baku prisons as hostages of Azerbaijan’s ongoing campaign of military aggression and ethnic cleansing. Independent reports also document the systematic destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in territories under Azerbaijani control.
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