Veronika Zonabend, the wife of Armenian philanthropist and former Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, has sent a letter to International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger seeking clarification on the legal status of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan, including Vardanyan, who was detained by Azerbaijani authorities on September 27, 2023 while attempting to leave Artsakh for Armenia, as the ICRC’s access to detainees remains in question following the organization’s suspension of operations in Azerbaijan on September 3, 2025 at the request of the Azerbaijani government.
Zonabend described her husband’s detention as illegal and raised broader concerns about the treatment and classification of Armenian prisoners.
In her letter, she emphasized the urgent need to clarify the legal status of the detainees under international humanitarian law. Families want to know whether individuals like Vardanyan were regarded during ICRC visits as prisoners of war, security detainees, internees, or under another legal classification.
Families of Armenian detainees have not had access to their relatives for more than two years and are deeply concerned about their health. The ICRC was the only organization to visit the detainees in detention, providing crucial independent oversight and reassurance to families. Zonabend praised the ICRC’s humanitarian role, noting that its visits bring critical support to families and reflect the organization’s commitment to neutrality, impartiality, and confidentiality.
Zonabend also highlighted serious concerns about judicial processes in Azerbaijan, including trials that lack fundamental legal guarantees and charges that appear unsupported by evidence. She further criticized Azerbaijani authorities for publicly labeling detainees as “terrorists,” saying the term misrepresents their status and compounds the suffering of their families.
She concluded with a personal appeal, calling on the ICRC to continue its mission of protecting human dignity and life, and stressing that clarity on the detainees’ legal status would provide much-needed reassurance and contribute to an objective understanding of their situation under international law.
