Yesterday, the family of Ruben Vardanyan, who is being illegally detained in Baku, released a deeply concerning statement, publishing a voice message from Vardanyan addressed to Azerbaijan’s Ombudsman, Sabina Aliyeva.

In the recording, one can clearly hear Vardanyan being interrupted. It is also alarming that one month after the "verdicts" were announced, the Armenian prisoners held in Baku have :yet to receive the texts of these "verdicts" in any language. NEWS.am spoke on the subject with Siranush Sahakyan, director of the International and Comparative Law Center and representative of the interests of Armenian prisoners at the European Court of Human Rights. 

Ms. Sahakyan, yesterday, Ruben Vardanyan’s family released a voice message, in which he was interrupted and not even allowed to finish his sentence or make public, through his family, his application to the Azerbaijani Ombudsman. How do you assess this situation?

The statement by Ruben Vardanyan’s family and the voice message in which he is interrupted are profoundly concerning. We will be drawing the attention of all our international partners to this statement. Vardanyan’s message demonstrates, once again, that Armenian prisoners are in total isolation, deprived of any accessible or effective mechanism to protect their rights. In this situation, anything could happen to them. We learn from the message that Ruben Vardanyan tried to contact the Azerbaijani Ombudsman through all possible means, but after those attempts failed, he decided to use a brief phone call with his family for that purpose.

Another concerning point in the family's statement is that one month after the "verdicts" were announced, the Armenian prisoners in Baku still haven't received the text of these verdicts in any language. In your opinion, what is the reason they are not being provided?

The failure to provide these verdicts is an artificial obstacle to the exercise of the right to appeal. We will present this as a violation of rights intended to impede the right to appeal, including the right to apply to international tribunals, which, in turn, leads to a new and gross violation of human rights. Appeals cannot be filed without the primary judicial act, and withholding it restricts the right to an effective remedy.

Yesterday, some Azerbaijani media outlets wrote that Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva visited Ruben Vardanyan, yet no photographs of this visit were published. It was also noted that Vardanyan’s call was allegedly registered at the Ombudsman’s call center, and that this is supposedly why she visited, rather than because of Vardanyan’s public statement.

We cannot even be certain if such a visit actually took place, especially since no photo was published. Azerbaijani sources can write whatever they wish. It must also be considered that the Azerbaijani Ombudsman does not hold the highest “A” status for independence; instead, she holds "B" status, and her reports are not perceived as credible by international legal organizations. Beyond having personal and family ties with the political elite, the Ombudsman has an institutional and functional dependence on the executive branch. This institution is simply being given a specific "substitute" role in order tojustify the earlier decision to remove the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from the country.

Vardanyan’s family also expressed fear that even the brief phone calls — the only remaining means of communication — might be terminated. Is it possible that they will ban those, as well, fearing that Ruben Vardanyan will continue to convey what he deems important, even under threat?

As I mentioned, the removal of the ICRC has left our prisoners completely unprotected. The situation is such that anything can be done to them, and we have no way of knowing. We will be taking certain steps in this direction shortly, and we will provide further information regarding these in due course.