On March 13, during a phone call with his family, Ruben Vardanyan attempted to make a public appeal to Azerbaijan’s Ombudswoman Sabina Aliyeva. However, the call was forcibly interrupted, according to a statement from Vardanyan’s family.
“Ruben Vardanyan was compelled to take this step because, over the previous ten days, attempts to contact the Ombudswoman through his lawyer, written requests, and phone calls yielded no results. Court proceedings concluded a month ago, but neither Ruben nor, to our knowledge, other Armenian prisoners have received the official texts of their verdicts in any language—Russian, Armenian, or Azerbaijani. They do not know which articles they were convicted under, when, or where they will be transferred,” the family statement reads.
The family also attached an audio recording of Vardanyan addressing the Azerbaijani Ombudswoman, during which his message is interrupted. In the recording, Vardanyan says:
“They are not allowing me to reach you, the only person who can intervene in this situation… It has been a month that I cannot obtain the verdict—in Russian, Armenian, or Azerbaijani. I do not know what I have been convicted for or under which articles. I am requesting a meeting so that we can discuss this situation. Unfortunately, the Red Cross has left. There is no institution here to maintain communication with us. The Armenian government has no representation here and is busy with supplies…”
The family notes that the call is interrupted by Azerbaijani authorities, preventing Vardanyan from completing his message.
“We are also concerned that even short phone calls—the only remaining means of communication—may be suspended,” the family statement added.
Ruben Vardanyan, former Prime Minister of Artsakh, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Despite never holding a military position, the Baku court found him guilty of several offenses, including participation in the war against Azerbaijan, financing terrorism, and the displacement of people.
Vardanyan’s lawyer was barred from presenting defense arguments, with the ongoing process described as not a trial, but a farce.
