David Vardanian's Call to the International Community

Days before the conclusion of COP29 in Baku and more than a year after the arrest of Ruben Vardanian by Azerbaijani authorities, his son, David Vardanian, condemns the silence of the international community and calls for the release of his father and 22 other hostages detained solely for being Armenian.

David Vardanian has published an article in the French periodical Le Journal du Dimanche. He states, "It has been more than a week since one of the most important and symbolic international conferences, COP29, is taking place in Azerbaijan. In fact, world leaders have gathered under one roof just a few hundred meters away from where Armenian hostages are being held and tortured. Among them is my father, Ruben Vardanian, who was unlawfully arrested by Azerbaijani authorities over a year ago while leaving Nagorno-Karabakh with 120,000 other Armenians who were forced to flee their ancestral land. My father is now detained along with 22 other hostages solely because he is Armenian. How can we speak about justice, human rights, global cooperation, and environmental protection while being just a few hundred meters away from people being tortured? At this critical moment when Azerbaijan is under the spotlight of the entire world, I urge the UN leadership not to allow the 23 Armenian hostages to die in collective indifference.

My father has dedicated his entire life to helping others. He has initiated and implemented over 700 humanitarian projects with his friends and colleagues, including the Aurora humanitarian initiative. He has always aimed to make the world fairer and more peaceful through his projects. Today, he is the one in need of help. That’s why I raise my voice on his behalf as he is deprived of that opportunity. The international community cannot continue to look away, engage in 'other priorities', and allow Azerbaijan to take advantage of this impunity by acting to present the country in a positive light while using COP29 as a platform.

There is still time to act. Every day that Armenians spend in prison is a stain on our collective conscience. Every minute of silence we maintain gives room to those who benefit from it to erase lives, cultures, and complete identities. It is time to break this deafening silence.

I state with full responsibility: participating in this COP in Baku without addressing the issue of human rights means becoming complicit in Azerbaijan’s use of it for political purposes. By using COP, Baku continues to undermine what should have been a platform for the realization of international cooperation around humanity's common challenges.

As long as COP29 is ongoing, there is still time to act. Those present in Baku can demand to visit the hostages and call for their release. Others can exert pressure on leaders by demanding guarantees from Azerbaijan, rejecting its impunity that endangers multiple nations, and ultimately calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the Armenian hostages. Who can stop Azerbaijan tomorrow, after COP has already concluded?"