Ruben Vardanyan, Detained in Baku, Ends Hunger Strike After Being Allowed to Speak with His Wife

The unlawfully detained philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan's family has announced that, thanks to growing international responses, he has been permitted to speak with his wife, Veronika Zonabend. This marks the second phone call between Vardanyan and his family during the three-week complete isolation he has been subjected to since beginning his hunger strike on April 5.

“The family finally had the opportunity to ask Ruben to end the hunger strike due to his deteriorating health condition. In a brief conversation, they informed him about the increasing pressure from various officials around the world regarding Azerbaijan. Aware of the global movement to free Armenian prisoners and responding to his family’s requests, Ruben reluctantly agreed to suspend his hunger strike,” the family stated in their announcement.

Ruben Vardanyan remains in captivity in Baku, and the conditions of his detention continue to worsen. Since the start of his hunger strike, he has been deprived of regular phone contact with his family. This adds yet another violation to Azerbaijan's list of breaches of international norms. During this time, he has been held in complete isolation without appropriate health care, except for occasional blood pressure checks. Concerns about his actual health status persist,” the family’s statement noted.

“We are seriously concerned about our father’s deteriorating health, although we are not at all surprised by his courage. Unfortunately, the conditions of his detention are only worsening. The world has shown Azerbaijan that it is watching the fate of Armenian prisoners, including our father, and on behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for supporting us during this difficult period. I hope that this growing international attention will lead to his and other Armenian captives’ release in the near future. We urge the international community to continue to increase pressure on Azerbaijan to ensure at least that a court session occurs in May with the participation of international observers,” said David Vardanyan, Ruben's eldest son.