Former Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister Vardanyan demands Pashinyan be questioned in his case
Russian–Armenian billionaire Ruben Vardanyan, Nagorno-Karabakh’s former State Minister, who is standing trial in Azerbaijan, has submitted several motions to the Baku Military Court, requesting it to question ‘certain individuals’ — including Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The motions were submitted during his trial on Tuesday, Azerbaijani state-run media Azertac reported.
Independent or international media are not allowed to cover the ongoing trials against Armenians held in Azerbaijan, among whom are former Nagorno-Karabakh officials. However, Vardanyan is being tried separately from all other Armenian detainees.
In his first motion, Vardanyan reportedly requested the court to question ‘certain individuals related to the criminal case he is charged with’, including Pashinyan and unnamed members of the now-dissolved OSCE Minsk Group, and representatives of the Red Cross in Azerbaijan.
However, the court ruled that a decision regarding the sequence of evidence examination had already been made and that it would not consider Vardanyan’s motion. It clarified that Vardanyan or his attorney could resubmit it in the future.
Similarly, the court left another motion unconsidered, with Vardanyan expressing disagreement with the charge of illegally crossing the Azerbaijani state border and requesting the questioning of the ‘commanders of the Russian peacekeeping contingent’ in Nagorno-Karabakh at the time of his entry.
Vardanyan has also expressed dissatisfaction with how his case is being handled by a military court, given how he had never held any military position. The court rejected this motion, saying that Vardanyan is charged with military offences.
Vardanyan was appointed as a state minister in November 2022 and served for less than four months. Before his appointment, Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship and moved to Nagorno-Karabakh in September.
He was detained by Azerbaijani authorities in September 2023 when he attempted to leave Nagorno-Karabakh, along with the region’s Armenian population, following Azerbaijan’s final assault on the region.
Azerbaijan has since accused him of ‘illegally cross[ing]’ its territory in September 2022 and financially supporting and providing ‘illegally acquire[d] and import[ed]’ military equipment to ‘armed formations and groups’ in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as plotting an action plan for a ‘terrorist’ operation against Azerbaijani diplomats abroad, amongst other charges.
Vardanyan’s lawyers have said that he could face life imprisonment if found guilty. The former state minister maintains his innocence.
Following one of his latest court sessions, lawyer Siranush Sahakyan claimed that Vardanyan was being blamed for actions that occurred before his arrival in Nagorno-Karabakh or his appointment to any state positions.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
While in detention, Vardanyan twice went on hunger strike in protest against his imprisonment, among other things, as a result of which he appeared significantly emaciated.
Following his first hunger strike in April, Vardanyan’s family announced that they submitted an urgent action complaint against Azerbaijan for its alleged use of torture and ill-treatment against Vardanyan to the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Torture.
Moreover, citing evidence observed in photos published by Azerbaijan, Armenia claimed Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan had been subjected to torture. They pointed to signs of torture on Vardanyan’s face.
Azerbaijan has officially acknowledged it has 23 Armenian prisoners in its custody, including former Nagorno-Karabakh officials.
In September, it was reported that there had been ‘suicide attempts’ among Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan. Earlier in March, Armenia claimed Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan had been subjected to torture, citing evidence observed in photos published by Azerbaijan.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.
