An article by Paul Polman, former Vice President of the UN Global Compact, was published in the British Express periodical, a translation of which is provided below.

"Successful businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan was captured by Azerbaijani authorities last September and then illegally detained.

Since that day, Vardanyan, along with 22 other Armenians, have been illegally held hostage by the Azerbaijani authorities. They have been denied due process and independent international legal assistance, denied proper food and medical care, and, as recently revealed, have been treated with appalling cruelty.

Eight political leaders and innocent citizens of Nagorno-Karabakh are among the 23 people held captive by the Government of Azerbaijan.

You should not be surprised at all. Azerbaijan is a country that has no respect for human rights and international law. This country has only a measly score of 7 out of 100 from the Freedom House organization.

Since 2003, when Ilham Aliyev inherited the presidency from his father, corruption has flourished, civil liberties have been destroyed, and political opposition has been suppressed, leaving no room for freedom of expression and civic engagement.

Journalists are harassed, blackmailed, and subjected to bribery attempts. if they resist, they are imprisoned. Those who leave the country and their families are persecuted.

Ruben Vardanyan was captured when the Azerbaijani army was sent to Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In Nagorno-Karabakh, he tried to protect the local Armenian population from the impending violence. After a ten-month total blockade that deprived the local population of food, fuel, and basic medicine, Azerbaijan forced more than 100,000 Armenians to abandon their homes, abandon their property, and flee. Many have called it genocide.

Ruben is an experienced and dedicated business leader. He has dedicated himself to a number of charitable projects, including schools, colleges, and the "Aurora" Humanitarian Award, which recognizes people who have done outstanding humanitarian work around the world (of which I am a member of the Board).

The international community now has an opportunity to respond to the illegal detention of Vardanyan, as well as other Armenian prisoners illegally held in Baku. Just one year after Azerbaijan's unleashed aggression, this November, the country is preparing to host the UN Climate Change Summit COP29 in its capital Baku. This is the largest international climate talks of the year.

The fact that Baku has been chosen as the host city is already highly controversial. Almost half of that country's GDP and 90 percent of its export earnings come from oil and gas production. The country's president has no serious interest in fighting climate change or reducing emissions. Indeed, earlier this year, President Aliyev said he wants to increase gas production by a third over the next decade and made it clear that COP29 would not stop them from investing in "God-given" gas.

Representatives of this country's government say they want this summit to be a "Peace Summit." This is when it has not even been a year since they invaded a neighboring country, and they have yet to reach the acceptance of a just peace agreement or show any real intention to move in that direction. Azerbaijan continues to hold political prisoners and fails to improve the human rights situation. Just a few days ago [July 4], Amnesty International called on the UN to ensure that the Azerbaijani authorities protect the international rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly for all those participating in the COP.

Members of the European Parliament have openly called for a boycott. More and more governments around the world are expressing their dissatisfaction with Azerbaijan's behavior. I sincerely hope that the newly appointed British Foreign Secretary David Lammy will also add his voice to these growing "voices" given his commitment to human rights. The UN should demand that Azerbaijan release all Armenian prisoners before the COP29 summit, as well as reconsider the procedure for selecting future host countries."

Paul Polman concludes by emphasizing that everyone can take steps in this direction. "You can write to the Azerbaijani Ambassador to the UK, Elin Suleymanov, at 66 Holland Park in London, demanding that his country immediately release political prisoners and hostages. You can also express your support on the Free Armenian Prisoners website and follow the campaign on social media.