Veronika Zonabend Appeals to ICRC President Regarding Ruben Vardanyan

Veronika Zonabend, the wife of Ruben Vardanyan, has sent a letter to ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, addressing the issue concerning the legal status of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan.

The letter reads in part: "Dear President, I am writing to you on behalf of my husband, Ruben Vardanyan, a citizen of Armenia, philanthropist, and former Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, who was unlawfully detained by Azerbaijani authorities on September 27, 2023, while crossing from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The role and mandate of the ICRC are indeed exceptional and unprecedented. During times of brutality, wars, and injustice, the ICRC remains a rare symbol of dignity, compassion, and humanity, fulfilling its noble mission to protect vulnerable individuals. The ICRC is one of the few international organizations whose members have not lost their sense of mission and continue to care deeply about their work.

We sincerely appreciate the visits of the ICRC representatives to Ruben in the Azerbaijani prison. For us, and I am sure for the families of other detained Armenians, your visits are far more significant than mere formal procedures.

I write to you with a full awareness of the well-established principles of the ICRC’s humanitarian mandate, confidentiality, impartiality, and neutrality. At the same time, it is critically important for the families of those unlawfully detained to know what legal status their relatives had at the time of the ICRC representatives’ visits in Azerbaijan. The need for clarification is becoming more urgent in light of the evidently flawed judicial proceedings in Azerbaijan, considering the trials devoid of fundamental guarantees and the unfounded charges laid against them.

Due to illegal detention and baseless trials, the suffering endured by their families is exacerbated when the Azerbaijani authorities publicly and repeatedly label these individuals as 'terrorists,' distorting the status of the detainees and disseminating disorienting information.

Taking the above into account, I respectfully request clarification on the specific legal status under which the ICRC delegates visited Ruben and other Armenian prisoners. In particular, we seek to understand whether the ICRC viewed them as individuals deprived of their liberty in relation to an armed conflict and therefore considered them as prisoners of war, individuals detained for security reasons, interned persons, or if they held any other status under international humanitarian law.

This clarification is extremely important. It would provide families with the much-needed assurance and understanding of how detainees are viewed within the framework of international humanitarian law and the criteria for ICRC humanitarian visits.

Allow me to conclude by expressing my sincere gratitude for the compassion and dignity provided by the Red Cross through its work. These are irreplaceable qualities that are sorely missed worldwide.

Finally, I wish to address you not only as a formal letter but also as a deeply personal appeal, as an organization whose mission has always been to prioritize human life, dignity, and justice above formalities and political considerations. For families like ours, who suffer the long-term and unlawful detention of a loved one, faith in the humanitarian actions of the ICRC is a source of hope. I sincerely believe that this spirit will guide you to pay attention to the situation regarding Ruben Vardanyan and other detained Armenians.

Respectfully, Veronika Zonabend