The Zhoghovurd daily of Armenia writes as follows, in particular: Siranush Sahakyan, the representative of the Armenian prisoners’ [in Azerbaijan] interests at the ECHR, in an interview with ArmLur.am, reflected on the session held on May 26 at the Baku Court of Appeal, where the appeals filed by Armenian prisoners, including the cases of the military-political leadership of Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)], were examined.

According to Sahakyan, the case of [former Artsakh state minister and well-known businessman and philanthropist] Ruben Vardanyan will not be examined in the appellate instance, since he had already refused to appeal at the initial phase, considering it ineffective.

She noted that a new judicial panel has been formed in the case, and the parties have limited themselves to clarifying their identities. According to Sahakyan, the court decided to continue the examination without examining additional evidence, as a result of which the appellate process will hardly differ in volume from the trial in the first instance. The next session was scheduled for June 2.

In Siranush Sahakyan’s assessment, there are no expectations of acquittal from the trials or mitigation of punishment. According to her, the process mainly serves Azerbaijan's internal propaganda and anti-Armenian agenda.

Reflecting on the information spread on social networks that, allegedly, Ruben Vardanyan may be released, Sahakyan noted that they do not have such information. According to her, on the contrary, information that does not correspond to reality and is probably directed at the state level is being circulated, including information about the possibility of Vardanyan's extradition to Ukraine.

She recalled that a report by the international commission of advocates was recently published on the trials in Azerbaijan, where special attention was also paid to the case of Ruben Vardanyan. In the report, it was recorded that the trial does not meet international standards, and the independence of judges and lawyers [in Azerbaijan] is under serious doubt. In Sahakyan’s view, the Azerbaijani authorities have taken these assessments painfully and are now trying to carry out a counter-propaganda campaign, linking Vardanyan’s name with Ukraine.