By Artak Khulian
YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — The son of Ruben Vardanyan has called on US President Donald Trump to press Azerbaijan to release the prominent businessman and philanthropist and all other Armenian prisoners.
David Vardanyan made the appeal in an op-ed article published on Thursday, May 1, on the website of the US Fox News Channel and titled: “My dad has been in prison for more than 550 days simply for being Christian.”
“Personally, I am alive because my great-grandfather was saved by an American orphanage organized by Christian missionaries in Echmiadzin, Armenia,” he wrote. “Today, we see signs that Armenians are again not alone. Most importantly, President Trump has vowed to protect persecuted Armenian Christians in Azerbaijan and beyond.”
“My family and I look to the leadership of President Donald Trump to fulfill his commitment as a President of Peace. He can do this by making the regime in Baku understand that it must adhere to international rules and show its commitment to peace in the Caucuses by releasing my father and the other Armenian prisoners,” added the younger Vardanyan.
At least 23 Armenians are known to remain in Azerbaijani captivity. Among them are eight former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, including Ruben Vardanyan, who went on trial in January together with eight other Karabakh Armenians.
