YEREVAN — Family members confirmed on April 25 that thanks to the growing international public and government awareness, illegally detained philanthropist, Ruben Vardanyan, was granted permission to speak to his wife, Veronika. This marked only his second call to his family after nearly three weeks of incommunicado detention since Vardanyan had launched his hunger strike on April 5.
He began his strike after requests were repeatedly ignored for a fair and transparent trial to be held in a timely manner in line with international legal standards. His trial was originally slated for January, but then extended to May without cause.
The family was finally able to plead with Vardanyan to end the hunger strike in light of his deteriorating health. In their brief conversation they were able to inform him of the growing pressure on Azerbaijan from government officials around the world. After hearing of this global movement to free Armenian prisoners and after listening to his family’s pleas, Vardanyan reluctantly agreed to pause his hunger strike for his family’s sake.
In recent weeks several initiatives were undertaken, including the United States Congress putting forth proposed legislation to sanction high level officials from Azerbaijan government for the illegal detainment of political prisoners, as well as the EU Parliament resolution introduced today, April 25. In addition, rallies of support to release the political prisoners took place yesterday in the U.S., France, and Armenia aligned with recognition of the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Vardanyan remains in captivity in Baku and faces worsening prison conditions. After his hunger strike began, he was denied regular telephone calls with family, adding to the list of Azerbaijan’s violations of international norms. Vardanyan was also isolated, with no access to appropriate health care beyond occasional evaluations of his blood pressure. Serious concerns remain about the true state of his health condition.
“We are gravely concerned about my father’s deteriorating health, though we are not surprised by his bravery,” said David Vardanyan, one of Vardanyan’s sons. “Despite our initial relief, my father’s conditions are only worsening. The world has shown Azerbaijan that it is watching the fate of the Armenian prisoners, including my father, and from our family I want to thank everyone for their support at this difficult time. I hope that this growing international attention may lead to his release in the nearest future. We urge the international community to further increase the pressure on Azerbaijan to ensure that at least his trial takes place in May 2024 with international observers.”