Azerbaijan jails ex-premier of Nagorno-Karabakh for 20 years
Ruben Vardanyan, former Nagorno-Karabakh premier captured by Azerbaijan in 2023, was sentenced to 20 years in prison
BAKU, Azerbaijan (MNTV) –Ruben Vardanyan, a prominent Armenian businessman and former Nagorno-Karabakh premier captured by Azerbaijan in 2023, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday following a yearlong trial he described as a “judicial farce.”
A military court in Baku found Vardanyan guilty on multiple charges, including financing terrorism. His family in Armenia condemned the ruling, calling it “a judgment against the Armenian people as a whole.”
“From the moment of his arbitrary detention 874 days ago, it became evident that the outcome of this process had been predetermined,” the family said in a statement.
They alleged that Vardanyan was denied due process, including meaningful access to legal defense and international counsel, and that hearings were held behind closed doors in violation of fair trial standards.
Vardanyan, who served as state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh from November 2022 to February 2023, was detained at an Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor in September 2023 while leaving the region during the mass departure of its ethnic Armenian population following an Azerbaijani military offensive.
Seven other former Karabakh Armenian leaders were also arrested during the exodus.
On Feb. 5, five were sentenced to life imprisonment and two others to 20 years after a separate trial. All denied similar charges.
Throughout the proceedings, Vardanyan remained defiant. In a statement circulated last week, he said: “What is happening is not a trial but a judicial farce,” adding that he was “not afraid of any punishment.”
He also reiterated his position on the disputed region, declaring, “Artsakh was, Artsakh is, and Artsakh will continue to exist.”
The Armenian government has not officially commented on the sentences handed down to the former Karabakh leaders, prompting opposition accusations of complicity in their continued detention. The government says it is working to secure the release of Armenian detainees. Vardanyan’s U.S. lawyer, Jared Genser, has previously disputed those claims.
Over the weekend, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev rejected calls for their release, comparing the former Karabakh leaders to Nazi Germany’s leadership and describing the trials as “absolutely transparent.”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has faced domestic criticism over remarks he made in August 2024 that appeared to echo claims that Vardanyan was sent to Karabakh to advance Russian interests.
Vardanyan, who built his fortune in Russia, rejected the accusation and later criticized Pashinyan’s policy toward Azerbaijan.
In a separate development, the mayor of the Armenian resort town of Dilijan has filed legal action against a charity founded by Vardanyan that invested heavily in local infrastructure, seeking to terminate long-term lease agreements. His wife, Veronika Zonabend, has denied allegations that the organization violated contractual obligations.
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