My Father Was Not Allowed to Drink Water for 48 Hours: Ruben Vardanyan's Son Shares Details

The prestigious French publication Le Point has published an interview titled "The World Has Turned a Blind Eye to the Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh" with David Vardanyan, the son of Ruben Vardanyan.

"These days are a sad anniversary for the former residents of Nagorno-Karabakh. One year ago, Azerbaijan took control of the Armenian enclave and its capital Stepanakert, forcing about 120,000 people into exile. Several Armenian political leaders, including former Prime Minister Ruben Vardanyan, were arrested by Azerbaijani armed forces. After being detained on September 27, 2023, in the Lachin corridor, which previously served as the only transit point between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, Ruben Vardanyan has now been imprisoned in Azerbaijan for a year, awaiting a trial that has been repeatedly postponed. His son, David Vardanyan, sounds the alarm and urges the international community to exert pressure on Azerbaijan to release Armenian prisoners.

Do you have any new information about your father?

My father was arrested on September 27, 2023, along with seven others. We learned about it through social media. It was shocking. We cannot go to visit him, but we sometimes speak with him on the phone and receive messages through the International Committee of the Red Cross. The last time I spoke with him was last week.

What is his health condition?

At the beginning of April, my father started a hunger strike. We learned about his decision only two weeks later, as he was in solitary confinement, without any means to communicate with the outside world, including with his lawyer who was also unable to contact him. Our international lawyers are not allowed to visit him. He has been placed in a special cell; he was not allowed to drink water for 48 hours and was forced to stand for hours, which is considered a form of torture under international conventions. This is why we brought the issue to the attention of the UN special rapporteur. Under international pressure, the Azerbaijani authorities finally agreed to allow him to contact his relatives. My mother was able to speak with him by phone and persuaded him to end his hunger strike.

When is his trial scheduled?

This is one of our most concerning questions. The trial was supposed to take place in January 2024. It was first arbitrarily postponed to May, then delayed again. It is now scheduled for October, but we have no guarantee that it won’t be postponed once more. Generally, it is prohibited to detain a person for months without clear charges. But, unfortunately, we know how the authorities in the country where my father is imprisoned operate.

Armenians and Azerbaijanis need to learn to coexist because we are neighbors and will remain neighbors. But this cannot be accomplished through the use of force and threats.

The COP29, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, is set to take place in Azerbaijan in November. What message would you like to send to foreign leaders who will visit Baku?

How can we trust a fossil fuel-dependent state whose export revenues come 90% from oil and whose policies are based on extracting as much gas and oil as possible, while at the same time completely violating human rights? In my opinion, we cannot separate climate justice from human rights. These two are interconnected. If we want to gain the serious attention of developing countries that hold events like COP to see what can be done, we must demand that the host countries provide a detailed account of the situation. I hope others will follow the example of Paris Mayor Ms. Hidalgo, who publicly stated that she would not attend the COP due to Azerbaijan's conduct. From now until November, we have the opportunity to exert pressure on Baku.

Is the international community overly lenient toward Azerbaijan?

Azerbaijan is one of the countries with the lowest freedom ratings in the world. According to Freedom House, its freedom index is only 7 out of a possible 100. Among the major powers, France is the only one that has held Baku’s regime accountable. Countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany have significant influence in the region. They need to do much more than they have done in the past.