Reacting to the start of the trial of Ruben Vardanyan, former de facto state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh (the breakaway region that Azerbaijan took full control of in 2023), Amnesty International's Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director Marie Struthers said:

“The Azerbaijani authorities claim they have put Ruben Vardanyan on trial to ensure accountability for crimes of which they accused him. But by denying him his fair trial rights, they are doing the exact opposite of justice. Authorities must uphold and ensure the fair trial rights of Ruben Vardanyan.”

“Ruben Vardanyan has raised serious allegations of human rights violations which include ill-treatment in detention, being coerced to sign falsified case materials and  denied the opportunity to prepare his defence. Authorities must promptly, thoroughly, independently, impartially and effectively investigate these grave allegations and bring to justice those suspected to be responsible.

“Authorities must provide Ruben Vardanyan full access to his lawyers, and adequate time and opportunity to prepare his defence.

“The international community must closely monitor this high-profile case, to ensure Ruben Vardanyan’s fair trial rights and justice.”

Ruben Vardanyan, a prominent businessman and philanthropist who moved to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022 and became the de facto State Minister the same year, was detained by Azerbaijani authorities on 27 September 2023 amid the mass exodus of ethnic Armenians following Azerbaijan’s military takeover. He has been held in detention since, and is reportedly facing multiple charges, including “financing terrorism” and “creating illegal armed groups.”

In an open letter attributed to him and published in the media, he complains of numerous violations of his human rights, including the right to a fair trial. According to the letter, he has spent most of his detention in solitary confinement and punishment cells, deprived of basic hygiene, while facing pressure to sign backdated falsified documents, and being given only one month to familiarize himself and his defence with a vast cache of case materials in Azeri, a language he does not understand.