Statement on the Charges Against Ruben Vardanyan

Human rights defender Siranush Sahakyan has issued a statement regarding the charges against Ruben Vardanyan:

“On May 23, 2025: As a human rights advocate and representative of Ruben Vardanyan's family, as well as a member of his international legal team, I declare that after reviewing part of the indictment against Ruben Vardanyan (over 200 pages), it becomes clear that the charges against him are politically motivated, lack legal basis, and grossly violate the norms of international law and the principles of fair trial.

The document highlights several important points:

First, contrary to fundamental legal principles, the indictment effectively considers Ruben Vardanyan's Armenian identity as a basis for criminal liability. The scope of the charges implies that national origin serves solely as key evidence of guilt. This undermines the foundation of modern justice systems—the principle of nullum crimen sine lege (“no crime without law”) and the requirement for individual criminal responsibility.

Second, the indictment categorizes the Republic of Mountainous Karabakh (RMK), where approximately 150,000 Armenians lived, as a criminal organization. This contradicts one of the fundamental principles of international law—the right to self-determination of peoples. The indictment misinterprets this right as incitement to hatred. Thus, the document retroactively criminalizes a political entity that has been involved in the negotiations of the OSCE Minsk Group for decades. Furthermore, Ruben Vardanyan is held accountable for events that occurred up to 30 years before his arrival in the RMK.

Third, Ruben Vardanyan is charged with illegally crossing the state border of Azerbaijan, which served as the basis for his arrest on September 27, 2023. However, at that time, the Lachin corridor was under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Additionally, Azerbaijan had committed to ensuring freedom of movement through the corridor according to the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020. The International Court of Justice has also affirmed this right, issuing binding decisions on February 22 and July 6, 2023, confirming the necessity for unobstructed movement of people, vehicles, and goods in both directions through the Lachin corridor. Similar rulings have also been made by the European Court of Human Rights.

Thus, there are no legal grounds for Ruben Vardanyan's arrest. The international community has consistently viewed the Republic of Mountainous Karabakh as a disputed territory, while the subject of the international dispute— the legal status of the territory and the applicable border regime— is treated as an established fact by the indictment. Therefore, the prosecution permits the logical fallacy of petitio principii by using the assertion it itself requires legal clarification as evidence.

Finally, the indictment claims that the 'Aurora' humanitarian initiative, co-founded by Ruben Vardanyan and his partners to assist vulnerable populations around the world, operates as a terrorist-financing organization. This charge is blatantly unfounded considering that 'Aurora' is internationally recognized as a respected humanitarian initiative that provides assistance to those affected by various crises worldwide. According to such logic, humanitarian aid to refugees and populations affected by conflicts is viewed as criminal activity.

In summary, the indictment is not only politically motivated but also deeply distorts fundamental legal principles and creates a dangerous precedent. This is not an isolated case. Currently, seven Armenians held in captivity in Baku have already been sentenced to long-term imprisonment on politically motivated and legally unfounded charges, which constitute a clear violation of internationally recognized standards of justice and due process. The remaining eleven are expected to face the same fate.

A portion of the indictment is attached, clearly demonstrating the absurdity of the charges, the political motivations behind their presentation, and their legal invalidity.”