make preferableRuben Vardanyan's son, David Vardanyan, has released a video message calling for resistance against the show trials taking place in Baku against his father and other Armenian political prisoners.
In the video message, he specifically states:
“It's an illusion to think that just because we physically live in LA, in Boston, in Paris, in London, or in Yerevan, that we are safe from aggressions against Armenians.
Hi, my name is David Vardanyan. I'm the son of Ruben Vardanyan, who has been a political prisoner in Azerbaijan for over 500 days, together with other Armenian detainees. My father dedicated his whole life to the global Armenian nation, and in 2022, he made the tough decision to leave his family and move with the people of Artsakh to live with them at the time of their greatest need. He endured a 10-month blockade, together with 120,000 ethnic Armenians, and after a military campaign by Azerbaijan, he was detained at the Lachin Corridor border. He has now been a prisoner. He has been subjugated to torture. Right now, he stands on trial for pursuing, via peaceful means, the right for Armenians to exist in their ancestral homeland.
We cannot stand in silence and let this happen. If those Armenian prisoners, including my father, are not freed, no Armenian is safe. This has been a clear sign sent by the Azerbaijani government to all Armenians worldwide. We must all unite, stand together, and demand that the prosecution of Armenians for their religion, for their ethnicity, will not be tolerated. This is the time for us to stand together and put aside our differences as global Armenians. He stands at risk of facing life imprisonment in a country that mistreats its own citizens, in a country that has been ruled by one family for over 40 years. We all know that there is no independent judicial system in Azerbaijan and that these trials are all politically motivated.
Unfortunately, we have just learned yesterday, that my father launched a hunger strike, putting his life in danger and potentially facing further torture, as he did when he launched a hunger strike in April last year. If we do not stand up now, we are putting future generations of Armenians at risk, and the survival of our nation itself, as well. I urge you to speak, to act, to do more in highlighting the injustices that Armenian prisoners are facing.
Finally, I want to speak directly to the Armenian diaspora in the United States. Right now, the current U.S. administration has highlighted that protecting the rights of Christians and Christian heritage around the world is a national priority. So, I urge you to speak to all your local electorates and your senators — write letters, speak to them. Speak to your priests, get the Christian community organized in the U.S., because I am sure that this topic will be an important issue for the U.S. administration, if we bring it to their attention.
I want to thank everyone for the support that has been shown to our family at this difficult time. Thank you.”
Let us remind that Ruben Vardanyan's international lawyer, Jared Genser, issued a statement hours ago, sounding the alarm. Lawyer Genser called on all international organizations with access to Azerbaijani prisoners to request permission to visit Ruben. As well, I ask that independent trial observers monitor Ruben’s trial in Baku to ensure his rights are not further violated during the proceedings.
I call on the Government of Azerbaijan to allow a doctor from our international team to visit him in prison, to immediately provide all necessary medical care, including regular monitoring of his condition, that he needs, and to postpone the trial through the remainder of his hunger strike.
I also call on world leaders, especially Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, to condemn the show-trial against Ruben as politically-motivated and unlawful,” the lawyer stated.
It should also be noted that Ruben Vardanyan has been on a hunger strike for a week now in protest against the judicial farce taking place in Baku.
