ArmInfo. The eldest son of the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Artsakh, world-famous philanthropist and businessman Ruben Vardanyan, illegally detained in Azerbaijan, gave an interview to France 24 TV channel regarding the situation with his father.
David thanked the authorities and people of France for their support. Answering the question about the timing of the trial of Ruben Vardanyan and the hunger strike, Davit Vardanyan noted that the process is completely opaque. "Since his arrest, we have had very little information about his condition or trial. The trial was supposed to take place in January, but it was arbitrarily postponed to May. Last week we learned that my father, who had not called his family for more than two weeks, had been on a hunger strike since April 5th. He was deliberately deprived of contact with his family for more than two weeks, and his health deteriorated. As international pressure mounted, including from France, he was given the opportunity to speak by telephone for the first time.
After increasing international pressure, on April 25, my mother spoke to him, told him about the international reaction, told him that such figures like French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had made statements during the Genocide commemoration, and that they were all extremely concerned about his health. He asked to stop the hunger strike for our sake. My father reluctantly agreed to stop the hunger strike," David Vardanyan said.
"Yes, he temporarily stopped his hunger strike, as we know. But we are still very concerned about his health as he is not receiving any medical care and is still in solitary confinement without proper medical examination. We continue to worry about his health," he said.
When asked by a commentator why Ruben Vardanyan decided to go to Nagorno-Karabakh, David Vardanyan stated that his father perfectly understood all the risks of this decision not only for him, but also for his family. "The last time I spoke to him in person was in August 2022.
He told me that there comes a point when some things become more important than even your own life, and you must be guided by those values and principles. He believed that 120 thousand people cannot be simply forgotten and abandoned. That's why he took the risk of living with them and trying to save them, to raise awareness of their terrible condition. Even now, in prison, he continues to fight for these people so that they are not forgotten."
Answering a commentator's question about what Europe can do, David Vardanyan noted that a lot is being done, although the efforts are not yet enough. "It seems to me that moods are changing, other than realpolitik, which I understand is inevitable. I feel that the European community, with leaders like Francois Bellamy in the European Parliament, really shows that beyond the pragmatic realities, there is also a human rights issue that cannot be ignored. Armenian prisoners become the main issue of this discussion, so this topic should always be on the agenda. Yesterday's actions in the European Parliament rightly raise a question about political prisoners: can Azerbaijan be a reliable partner if it continues to violate human rights? The voice of Europe is very important. The rest alsoshould join France. I hope that these values will prevail and the Armenian prisoners will be released," David Vardanyansaid.