What is Being Done for Ruben Vardanyan's Defense: 'Zhoghovurd'

On September 27, former Artsakh Prime Minister Ruben Vardanyan was illegally detained and arrested while crossing the Lachin checkpoint. It later became clear that he had been charged with three counts, and an Azerbaijani court decided to keep the former Prime Minister in custody for four months.

On October 9, a court in Baku rejected the appeal filed by his lawyer, Afat Gaziev, requesting a change in Vardanyan's pre-trial detention conditions. Thus, Ruben Vardanyan will continue to remain in custody.

In an interview with the newspaper 'Zhoghovurd,' Mesrop Arakelyan, co-founder of the 'Living Country' party, stated that there is currently a process underway at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) based on Armenia's application, but there has been no impact so far. “We have not yet seen any results. Decisions from international bodies regarding not only prisoners but also many other issues have little significant effect on Azerbaijan. We all understand that it is legally challenging to resolve this issue. In any case, efforts are being made in various directions,” he said.

It is important to note that Ruben Vardanyan's defense is being handled by Azerbaijani lawyer Afat Gaziev, and no Armenian or international lawyers are involved. “According to the laws of Azerbaijan and other countries, only state-provided, registered lawyers can engage in defense. Other lawyers cannot be involved,” Arakelyan added.

It is worth mentioning that on October 6, Ruben Vardanyan had a phone conversation with his wife. Regarding what Vardanyan shared during the conversation, Mesrop Arakelyan said it was a brief call, and Vardanyan informed that he was in satisfactory health, but no further details are known.