Ruben Vardanyan Ends Hunger Strike

Ruben Vardanyan has ended his hunger strike, as announced by his family. The hunger strike served not only as a protest but also as a means of drawing attention to the unfair judicial process and the overall situation.

Vardanyan conveyed two voice messages during a phone conversation with his family; one of which is published today, and the other is set to be released on Sunday. He also stated that he would only speak again during the final court session, but only if there are international representatives present.

In today’s voice message, he specifically mentions that his hunger strike aimed to highlight that there is no real trial taking place, but rather a formal judicial procedure. “I had several objectives for declaring a hunger strike. To show that there is no real trial, rather a formal court is taking place, to indicate that I am not the only one being judged here; all Armenians and the state are being judged, and to reveal the price that those who wish to remain and live in Artsakh must pay instead of leaving,” stated Ruben Vardanyan.

Today is March 12, marking the 23rd day of my hunger strike. I am in excellent condition. Don’t worry, everything is fine. I know what I am doing, why I am doing it, and I am grateful to everyone for your support and feelings.

I wish to address everyone and ask (regardless of how you feel about me) to listen to my message. I hope it will be clear and precise. I deliberately do not mention last names to avoid shifting attention onto individuals.

“I had several goals for declaring a hunger strike. To show that there is no real trial, but rather a formal court, to demonstrate that it is not just me that is being judged, but all Armenians and the state itself, to reveal the price that those who wish to remain and live here (in Artsakh) must pay instead of leaving. I want to remind you once again about the well-known choice from the Russian fairy tale: a choice that must be made between the loss of the homeland, the sword of lost honor, and the loss of life. The hero must make that choice, for standing still means total annihilation. That choice is not easy, but it must be made by everyone, including those who lived in Artsakh during what happened during this time and even before that—over the last thirty years and even millennia prior.

This last court session was a vivid example of what would happen if the residents of Artsakh remained in their homes and what price they would pay for it. During the session, two Artsakh Armenians living in Stepanakert testified against me, including making various unbelievable claims. Moreover, they had never seen me in their lives, and they themselves were in a terrible situation. Nevertheless, they came forward in court, and I felt very sorry for them.

A person pays a price for everything. The example of the Armenian who was arrested right from a Red Cross vehicle and sentenced to fifteen years in prison, along with the two individuals who testified against me, is a clear warning that you would not be allowed to live peacefully in your homes. And anyone could find themselves in the situation of those two witnesses yesterday or in the position of someone accused of terrible crimes. It doesn’t even matter whether you are guilty or not, whether you committed those crimes or not.

I want to separately note that today, the former president of Artsakh is testifying here, while the legitimate president of Artsakh is in Armenia. Believe me, this greatly changes the situation and the weight of the words being spoken here by the former president. I am astonished by the depth of hatred of the current leadership of Armenia toward the Artsakh Armenians, and I am glad that I hindered them from implementing their plan that they were promoting and encouraging some leaders of Artsakh, both current and former, to carry out that scenario taken from someone else, so they would have the right to say, “Look, your sons died because of them. And you still blame us for something, while they sold out and can now live happily and carefree, while you will mourn the loss of your loved ones for the rest of your life.”

I want to say to all moral handicaps that they have lost. Those who wanted this, both in Armenia and in Artsakh, took appropriate steps, and all those who now declare why they did not fight to the end but left. You have failed to destroy the dignity and honor of ordinary Armenians. Not just the Armenians of Artsakh, but all Armenians.

For information purposes, I will state the following: during the last military operation, the officially acknowledged number of losses on the other side exceeds their losses during the 44-day war by four times. May the memory of those who fell for the Homeland always be bright.

On the 23rd day of my hunger strike, I have decided to end it for several reasons and I ask all those who joined me to do the same. I believe that the last court session clearly showed all of you what would have happened to you if you had stayed here (in Artsakh), and what price you would have had to pay to live in your home, your homeland.

The second reason is to show that this is not a trial but a formal court, and my demands, my requests to discuss my legal rights are being rejected, demonstrating that there will be no trial here; this show will continue regardless of everything.

A few days ago, the official representative of the authorities’ speech revealed the obvious purpose that the trial is being held not against 15 plus one but against the leadership of Armenia and against Armenia as a state, against any Armenian, no matter where they come from, even if they are not from Armenia.

And lastly, whoever frightens you with another military war is misleading you again. In today’s world, there are many other ways to lose the right to have your own state. It is no longer necessary to conquer through military means; now the war is continuing without even a single shot fired, simply through technology, finance, economic dependency, infrastructure, information, and political wars. If you continue to live in the illusion that everything will end and that you can live peacefully and make a living, that is self-deception.

By losing Artsakh, in the coming years, we will also lose Armenia if we do not radically change our attitude towards concepts such as what defines elite, power, state, and who should lead us. Listen to me and think about this while it is not too late. And always remember, as in the famous Armenian fairy tale, the people choose the courageous Nazari king, and that is the result of our collective decision, not his own.

I am confident that among our people, we have healthy forces, and that we will overcome this heavy crisis, just as we have done many times throughout our history, and that we will not only live but live with dignity in our homeland. Remember that only a living person can swim against the current. I embrace you all. Together with you, one of your ordinary Armenians, Ruben,” he said.

It is noteworthy that Vardanyan had been on a hunger strike for 23 days in protest against the fabricated trial. He is being tried in connection with a case that has been separated from the case of the former military-political leaders of Artsakh. Azerbaijan accuses Vardanyan of “torture,” “profit-driven activities,” “violations of the laws of war,” “terrorism,” and “financing terrorism.”