Thursday, April 25 2024 22:15

ArmInfo. Former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, imprisoned in Azerbaijan, was allowed to  talk to his family after 21 days in isolation.

as a statement Vardanyan's office reports: "Family members confirmed  today that thanks to the growing international public and government  awareness, illegally detained philanthropist, Ruben Vardanyan, was  granted permission to speak to his wife, Veronika, today. This marks  only his second call to his family after nearly three weeks of  incommunicado detention since Mr. Vardanyan launched his hunger   strike on April 5.  The strike began on April 5, 2024, after  requests were repeatedly ignored for a fair and transparent trial to  be held in a timely manner in line with international legal  standards.  His trial was originally slated for January, but then   extended to May without cause.  The family was finally able to plead  with Mr. Vardanyan to end the hunger strike in light of his  deteriorating health condition. In their brief conversation they were  able to inform him of the growing pressure on Azerbaijan from  government officials around the world.  After hearing of this global  movement to free Armenian prisoners and after listening to his  family's pleas, Mr. Vardanyan reluctantly agreed to pause his hunger  strike for his family's sake.  Mr. Vardanyan remains in captivity in  Baku and faces worsening prison conditions. After his hunger strike  began, he was denied regular telephone calls with family, adding to  the list of Azerbaijan's violations of international norms. Mr.  Vardanyan was also shifted to complete isolation with no access to  appropriate health care beyond occasional evaluations of his blood  pressure. Serious concerns remain about the true state of his health  condition.  "We are gravely concerned about my father's deteriorating  health, though we are not surprised by his bravery," said David  Vardanyan, one of Mr. Vardanyan's sons. "Despite our initial relief,  my father's conditions are only worsening. The world has shown  Azerbaijan that it is watching the fate of the Armenian prisoners,  including my father, and from our family I want to thank everyone for  their support at this difficult time. I hope that this growing  international attention may lead to his release in the nearest  future.  We urge the international community to further increase the  pressure on Azerbaijan to ensure that at least his trial takes place  in May 2024 with international observers." Mr. Vardanyan is one of  eight former officials arrested last September when armed forces of  the Azerbaijani government invaded the Nagorno-Karabakh region,  triggering the mass exodus of the 120,000 inhabitants. Now more than  200 days later, the eight Armenian leaders face a series of  politically motivated charges.  Mr. Vardanyan is a well-known  Armenian philanthropist and businessman, a father of four and a  loving husband who has been illegally detained for over 200 days.  He  is now charged with false accusations and held in poor conditions.  His trial is not expected to adhere to international standards,  including those that ensure international observers are granted  access to the proceedings. Mr. Vardanyan's case is also separated  from the other seven political prisoners, prompting questions about  whether he is being politically singled out," the source notes.