Lawyer Siranush Sahakyan shared her impressions about the trial of Ruben Vardanyan and other ex-leaders of Artsakh

According to Siranush Sahakyan, the defender of the interests of Armenian prisoners of war at the ECHR, systematic gross violations of international norms turn these hearings into a mockery. As a result, the testimonies of the Armenian prisoners have to be judged only on the basis of Azerbaijani media reports, which makes it impossible to draw an objective picture of what is happening. The only alternative information we can get is from Ruben Vardanyan, who is trying to pass it on by any means, as well as through his private lawyer.

In addition, Sahakyan criticized the testimonies of Azerbaijani witnesses: they claim that they were injured during the hostilities and demand the maximum sentence for Ruben Vardanyan, although they do not even know him.

“For all serious specialists, all of this is not only unreliable, but also ridiculous,” the lawyer emphasized.

According to Sahakyan, the international community keeps following the process. If all attempts to influence Baku fail, it will be necessary to apply sanctions to Azerbaijan, she believes.

“In any case, we will continue our work with all international structures and we will show the formal, senseless and anti-legal nature of this trial”, Sahakyan adds.