YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — Ruben Vardanyan, a former Nagorno-Karabakh premier jailed in Azerbaijan, denounced his ongoing “show” trial, paid tribute to Karabakh’s displaced population and urged Armenians not to fall into “despair” in an audio message publicized by his family on Friday, March 7.
“I am in good shape, I feel strong, my health is fine, and I am at peace with myself and stronger in spirit than ever before,” the Armenian-born billionaire and philanthropist said on the 18th day of his hunger strike launched in protest against “egregious due process abuses” committed by Azerbaijani authorities.
“This is a protest against the very nature of this process itself, against the way the process is unfolding,” Vardanyan said in the 12-minute message recorded by the family during a phone call on Thursday, March 6. “I knew what I was getting into and I was and still am prepared for even worse conditions. I’m not a victim and I don’t want to be pitied because all this was a conscious decision.”
“My demands remain the same. If there is such a desire to judge me, judge me professionally, publicly, openly, in accordance with Azerbaijani laws and legal procedures, along with everyone else,” he said in reference to seven other former Karabakh leaders who are standing a separate trial in Baku.
“Do not violate your own laws and procedures. Do not falsify documents, do not manipulate evidence and protocols,” he added, appealing to the Azerbaijani authorities.
Vardanyan went on to reiterate that he does not regret relocating to Karabakh in September 2022, one year before it was recaptured by Azerbaijan. He apologized to the Karabakh children who “lost their homeland” as a result of the September 2023 Azerbaijani offensive and the ensuing exodus of the region’s ethical Armenian population.
