13 months in captivity: chronicle of Ruben Vardanyan’s detention

Social entrepreneur Ruben Vardanyan remains in Azerbaijani captivity. In October, the Baku court extended his illegal arrest for the third time.

Prominent international figures continue to speak out in support of Ruben Vardanyan. At the celebration in honor of the 10th anniversary of UWC Dilijan College, which was founded by Ruben and his partners, President of the UWC International Council Musimbi Kanyoro compared the life path of the philanthropist with the fate of the famous fighter for human rights Nelson Mandela. She said that like Mandela, Ruben will emerge victorious from all the trials.

Also in October, the book “Ruben” was presented in Yerevan. According to the authors Vladislav and Alina Gasumyanov, when creating the book, they sought to remind about the man who made the lives of many people better.

The French publication Le Point published an interview with Ruben Vardanyan’s eldest son. In the article “The world has turned a blind eye to ethnic cleansing carried out in Nagorno-Karabakh” David Vardanyan expressed concern that international lawyers are not allowed to visit his father.

Meanwhile, Ruben Vardanyan’s lawyers filed a lawsuit in Baku court for insulting their client’s honor, conscience and business reputation. The defendant was the Azerbaijani Russian-language newspaper “Baku Worker”: a number of its publications attributed fabricated accusations to Vardanyan.

While the philanthropist is still unable to return to his family, his projects continue to operate in Russia and Armenia. In October, the Wings of Tatev cable car celebrated its 14th anniversary. In the same month, the world’s longest reversible swing ropeway was nominated for the prestigious World Travel Awards 2024.

In addition, the selection committee for the Aurora International Humanitarian Award, co-founded by Ruben Vardanyan, is still active. The award is named in honor of the Armenian-American writer and actress Aurora Mardiganyan, who survived the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. In October, a monument to Aurora was erected in Yerevan. Ruben Vardanyan’s wife Veronica Zonabend participated in the opening ceremony.