ArmInfo. The Armenian Foreign Ministry is dealing with the issue of consular access to former Minister of State of Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan; the department will protect the rights of its citizen. TASS reports with reference to a diplomatic source in Yerevan.
"The issue of consular access to Vardanyan is being dealt with by the Armenian Foreign Ministry, which will protect the rights of a citizen of the Republic of Armenia," the agency's interlocutor said. It also became known from the media that Armenia has already appealed to the ECHR in connection with the capture of Ruben Vardanyan by the Azerbaijani authorities.
The world-famous humanitarian figure and the first chairman of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, American doctor Tom Catena, reacting to the message about Vardanyan's captivity on his X-page (Twitter), in particular, wrote: "Disbelief, anger, and heartbreak. Ruben Vardanyan, a man of compassion and selflessness, has been a rock of support for the people of Artsakh, and what has happened is beyond comprehension. My prayers are with Ruben and his family," Mr. Catena wrote.
In turn, the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) called for condemnation of this arbitrary detention and an immediate end to the impunity of this rogue state, which violates international standards by torturing, executing, maiming, arresting and arbitrarily detaining Armenians.
Let us add that today the Kremlin, commenting on reports of Vardanyan's capture, stated that if he is a citizen of the Russian Federation, then the Russian side will ensure his rights.
Earlier, Vardanyan's wife Veronica Zonabend said that this morning her husband, Ruben Vardanyan, was arrested and captured by Azerbaijani authorities at the border while trying to leave Artsakh along with thousands of other Armenians.
The State Border Service of Azerbaijan confirmed the fact of Vardanyan's capture while trying to leave Artsakh, publishing a corresponding photograph and video from his detention.