Chronology

1. A narrative of Ruben Vardanyan’s detention. What happened?

On September 27, 2023, at the checkpoint near the Hakari Bridge, Azerbaijani authorities detained Ruben Vardanyan, a public figure, philanthropist and former state minister of Artsakh, as he was trying to leave for Armenia. After the detention, security forces took him to Baku.

Soon Vardanyan was unlawfully charged under three articles, facing up to 14 years in prison. The Azerbaijani court arrested the former state minister of Artsakh for four months on fabricated charges.

Azerbaijan did not include Vardanyan in the list of prisoners to be exchanged with Armenia. According to Azerbaijani media, Baku released 32 people, and Yerevan — two. But none of the former Artsakh leaders, including Ruben Vardanyan, was on this list. Later, his case was separated into a separate proceeding and was examined separately from the cases of other Armenian prisoners.

From April 5 to April 24, 2024, Ruben Vardanyan went on hunger strike, demanding the release of all Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan. Later, his lawyers reported signs of ill-treatment and, in June 2024, appealed to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

On December 28, 2024, Vardanyan’s case was transferred to court.

On January 17, 2025, the trial began at the Baku Military Court, despite the fact that Vardanyan is a civilian and has no connection to the armed forces or law enforcement agencies.

On January 16, 2025, Vardanyan conveyed through his family that he had not given any testimony since the moment of his detention and considered the records bearing his signature to be falsified.

On February 18, 2025, Ruben announced a second hunger strike in protest against the trial, stating that not only he and other Armenian prisoners were being tried, but also all those who had helped Artsakh and its population. The hunger strike lasted 23 days and drew the attention of the international community.

On March 12, 2025, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the inhuman treatment of Armenian hostages and calling for their immediate release.

On September 3, 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross was forced to cease its activities in Azerbaijan by decision of the country’s government. It had been the only international organization with access to Armenian prisoners in Baku.

On October 21, 2025, Vardanyan refused the services of his lawyer, calling it a forced decision. He believes that gross violations of procedural rules deprived the defense of the ability to carry out its work effectively, while the lawyer’s participation was being used merely to create the appearance of legality in the process.

On December 18, 2025, the state prosecutor requested life imprisonment for Vardanyan.

On February 17, 2026, the Baku Military Court delivered its verdict: Ruben Vardanyan was sentenced to 20 years in prison. According to the court’s decision, he is to spend the first 10 years in prison and the following 10 years in a high-security facility.

Before the verdict was delivered, Vardanyan refused to take part in what he called an imitation of justice. In his final statement, he spoke about dignity, responsibility, and peace that is possible only between equals.

After the verdict was announced, Vardanyan decided not to file an appeal at the national level. He refused to legitimize a process which, in his view, had from the very beginning failed to meet the basic principles of a fair trial.

On March 13, 2026, during a phone call with his family, Ruben Vardanyan tried to convey a public appeal to Azerbaijan’s Ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva, but the call was interrupted. In the appeal, he raised issues concerning the detention conditions of Armenian prisoners and the lack of information about their situation.

In April 2026, Ruben Vardanyan was transferred to the Umbaki prison complex in the Garadagh district of Baku.

On April 21, 2026, Ruben Vardanyan appealed to the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Anahit Manasyan, calling on her to help organize a humanitarian visit to Baku to meet Armenian prisoners and their relatives. In response, Armenia’s Ombudsperson stated that her office did not have the relevant mandate to organize such visits.

2. What is Ruben Vardanyan known for?

Ruben Vardanyan is a prominent philanthropist with hundreds of social projects in Russia and Armenia under his belt. He was co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, as well as founder and first president of the Skolkovo School of Man-agement. In Armenia, Vardanyan had a hand in creating the UWC Dilijan College, an international boarding school for teenagers.

The social entrepreneur actively engaged in charity work and supported cultural projects. In Moscow, for example, his name is associated with the transformation of the GES-2 exhibition space, in Armenia — with the restoration of the Tatev Monastery and creation of the Aurora initiative. The initiative funds projects aimed at raising awareness of the world’s most pressing humanitarian problems.

3. How is Vardanyan connected with Artsakh?

In June 2021, Vardanyan announced his decision to obtain Armenian citizenship. “I realize that as I become a public figure, I take on a great burden and responsibility, but I see no other way. We must build the future together,” he said.

A year later, on September 1, 2022, Ruben Vardanyan announced his intention to move to Artsakh and called for the extension of the Russian peacekeepers’ presence in the region: “I believe that the peacekeepers’ mandate should be clarified and the duration of their presence extended until we can ensure the security of the people of Artsakh on our own.”

He explained his decision with patriotic considerations and a desire to support local residents. Vardanyan said he planned to open the We Are Our Mountains development agency in the region. Its projects were aimed at supporting the residents of Artsakh, expanding their opportunities and protecting the interests of people affected by the conflict.

A month later, Vardanyan agreed to assume the position of Artsakh’s state minister after the republic’s president, Arayik Harutyunyan, made this proposal to him. Thus, on November 4, 2022, Ruben Vardanyan took office and held it for just over three months — until February 23, 2023.

4. What did Vardanyan do as state minister of Artsakh?

Ruben Vardanyan held the first strategic session on the region’s development in Stepanakert on November 1. The event arranged by the We Are Our Mountains development agency brought together more than 60 experts from various fields from Armenia and Artsakh.

The meeting identified priority issues of the region’s strategic development in the most important areas — security, demography, education, economy, healthcare, social protection, and national identity.

As state minister, he worked on issues of civilian governance, support for the population and preservation of basic living conditions amid the long-standing conflict and increasing pressure on Artsakh. Later, major Russian businessman Sergey Sarkisov stressed that Vardanyan went to Artsakh “to create, not to wage war.”

In December 2022, Ruben Vardanyan commented on the beginning of the Artsakh blockade. “We have been under siege for 72 hours. I am proud to live here with you, because we are going through this crisis with great dignity. I truly believe that we will overcome everything. The strength and faith that I see in you give me enormous energy,” stated Artsakh’s state minister.

He brought this problem to an international level — many leading global media outlets wrote about the blockade of Artsakh, and the entire world heard Vardanyan’s words on the region’s situation. Artsakh had never received as much attention as it did in the months after the philanthropist took office as state minister.

One of the projects Vardanyan initiated in Artsakh aimed to equip about 14 thousand square meters of greenhouses with special systems for achieving year-round harvests. Given the constant threat of blockade, this solution became a necessity for Artsakh.

In addition, Vardanyan tasked the government with organizing an uninterrupted water supply to Stepanakert in the absence of electric power. A hybrid power plant with an installed capacity of 517 kW was created for the Republican Medical Center. The complex was also protected against power outages — in case of a blackout, vital departments would be able to operate for up to 12 hours.

5. What are Azerbaijan’s claims?

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry demanded that Vardanyan leave Karabakh on December 23, 2022. In response, Ruben emphasized his long-standing personal, family and humanitarian connection with Artsakh. This was where his roots, his home and the projects he had been carrying out for many years were: “I have been coming to Artsakh for 20 years. I have launched many projects here and arranged the restoration of a mosque in Shusha. I have Artsakh roots, my grandmother is from here. I have a house here, and I don’t really understand why I should leave.”

In February 2023, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev cited Vardanyan’s departure from the region as a condition for establishing a dialogue with the Armenian community of Artsakh. “We are ready to start practical communications with the representatives of the Armenian community of Karabakh. Today I informed my Armenian counterpart about this in the presence of Secretary Blinken,” he said during a plenary discussion on the South Caucasus at the Munich Security Conference.

On February 23, 2023, Ruben Vardanyan was dismissed from his post as Artsakh’s state minister. The republic’s prosecutor general, Gurgen Nersisyan, was appointed to the position. Nevertheless, the resignation did not become a reason for Ruben to leave. Despite political pressure, the blockade and the growing humanitarian crisis, he stayed in Artsakh alongside the people whom he considered it his duty to support.

On February 24, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov commented on Vardanyan’s resignation and noted that Baku was ready to begin the “integration” of Artsakh residents of Armenian origin into Azerbaijani society.

6. What happened between Vardanyan’s dismissal and arrest?

Throughout this period, Vardanyan remained in Artsakh and actively participated in the region’s life. For example, within the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative founded by the philanthropist and his partners, an additional Aurora for Artsakh program was launched.

Its goal was to help Armenians of Artsakh who had suffered from the 2020 war. The We Are Our Mountains territorial development agency, created with Vardanyan’s participation, had been implementing projects to ease the everyday life of local residents since September 2022.

Using Ruben’s personal funds and donations from caring people, more than 280 tons of food, several hundred wood-burning stoves, as well as building materials for repairing homes damaged by the military conflict, were purchased and delivered. In addition, a mobile primary care team for residents of remote areas was created in the region.

In March, Vardanyan took part in the conference of the FUTURE ARMENIAN public initiative and commented on the blockade of the Lachin corridor. “The blockade of Artsakh has shown that it is false to say Armenians think only about food. Armenians have a great need to discuss ideas. An Armenian needs to believe and know that they are important as a person. This cannot be achieved by filling stores with food. The idea is important; without it, we will not succeed,” he emphasized.

In September, after Azerbaijan launched its “anti-terrorist operation,” Vardanyan said that a full-scale military operation was underway in the region. Even during those days, he remained in Stepanakert alongside people experiencing hostilities, fear, uncertainty and the threat of mass exodus. Ruben spoke about the need to protect the residents of Artsakh and to pay attention to the humanitarian consequences of what was happening.

On September 27, 2023, Ruben Vardanyan was unlawfully detained by Azerbaijani border guards as he tried to leave for Armenia together with thousands of Artsakh residents. He was taken to Baku and faced fabricated charges of financing terrorism, creating and participating in the activities of armed formations, and crossing the border. Initially, he faced up to 14 years in prison under these articles, but on February 17, 2026, the Baku Military Court sentenced Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison.

7. How did the events develop after the arrest?

On September 30, 2023, in Yerevan, a march in support of Vardanyan and other prisoners took place. At least 10 thousand people gathered near the Matenadaran Museum in the Armenian capital.

“Ruben Vardanyan and our other compatriots must be released immediately. The Armenian authorities must do everything to ensure this,” Soviet and Armenian actor and screenwriter Vardan Petrosyan stated at the rally.

On October 2, 2023, Ruben Vardanyan’s four children asked for help in freeing their father. They stressed that he had never participated in military operations. On the contrary, Vardanyan and his partners founded the Aurora Humanitarian Foundation, which aims to promote peace and protect human rights around the world.

In connection with Armenia’s application filed with the ECHR on September 27, 2023, Azerbaijan provided the court with information about Vardanyan’s condition in early October. This information was passed on to the philanthropist’s close relatives.

On October 6, 2023, Azerbaijan’s Commissioner for Human Rights Sabina Aliyeva met with Ruben Vardanyan. She expressed satisfaction with the detention conditions and noted that Vardanyan had undergone the initial medical examination and had no complaints about his health.

The philanthropist was also allowed to talk to his family by phone, receive parcels and choose a lawyer. Three days later, the court in Baku ruled to uphold the decision of the first-instance court and rejected the public figure’s appeal against the arrest.

Ruben Vardanyan first called his wife, Veronika Zonabend, from prison on October 12, 2023. The philanthropist said that he was “in a normal condition” and also asked his wife to take care of all the affected residents of Artsakh.

At the end of October, Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, Executive Director of the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, reported that human rights defenders were working on mechanisms for returning the captive residents of Artsakh from Baku.

In early November 2023, the Baku prisoners were visited by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The detainees were allowed to contact their families.

The We Are Our Mountains agency (co-founded by Ruben Vardanyan) and its partners launched the Wings project, dedicated to the physical and mental rehabilitation of young refugees from Artsakh. Another area of work was the Support for Artsakh Craftsmen project, which helps residents of the region master a new craft, improve their skills or purchase the tools they need.

On November 23, 2023, the Center for Truth and Justice published a report on the consequences of the events in Artsakh. It noted that, under international law, the Azerbaijani side is obliged to release all prisoners.

On November 28, 2023, ICRC members visited Ruben Vardanyan and other prisoners again.

Closer to the end of the year, it became known that Azerbaijan refused to include Ruben Vardanyan in the list of prisoners to be exchanged with Armenia. Moreover, none of the former leaders of Artsakh were included in the list.

In January 2024, the court extended Ruben Vardanyan’s illegal detention for another four months. At the time, the philanthropist had been in detention for about 120 days.

In March 2024, the fate of Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners was discussed at a major European Parliament conference in Brussels. Ambassador of Armenia to Belgium Tigran Balayan noted that the unresolved situation “is poisoning the atmosphere.”

On April 8, 2024, the social entrepreneur was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for developing peacebuilding initiatives and preventing a humanitarian disaster in Artsakh. The authors of the appeal recalled that the philanthropist contributed to the unification of nations and fought for human rights.

On April 19, 2024, the family of the social entrepreneur learned two weeks late that the philanthropist had gone on hunger strike. Ruben Vardanyan took this desperate measure after Azerbaijan ignored repeated requests to ensure a fair and transparent trial in accordance with international legal standards. During the hunger strike, the philanthropist was transferred to a punishment cell, deprived of sleep, denied drinking water for more than two days, forced to stand for long periods, cut off from all communication with the outside world, and prevented from meeting with his lawyer or talking to his family by phone.

On April 26, 2024, the philanthropist was forced to end his hunger strike after persistent requests from his family, who were concerned about his health.

In June, Ruben Vardanyan’s lawyers filed an urgent appeal to the UN Special Rapporteur with a request to condemn the ill-treatment of their client.

In September 2024, the participants of the Free Armenian Prisoners initiative sent an open letter to Stefano Domenicali, Chief Executive Officer of the Formula 1 World Championship. On the eve of the competition in Baku, the authors of the letter urged him to support the release of Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners.

On November 15, 2024, the French publication Le Journal du Dimanche published an appeal by David Vardanyan, Ruben Vardanyan’s eldest son, to the international community. Against the backdrop of the COP29 international climate summit in Baku, he called on world leaders and the UN leadership not to ignore the fate of Armenian prisoners and to seek their release.

In December 2024, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan announced the completion of the investigation and transferred Ruben Vardanyan’s case to the Baku Military Court. By that time, he had been charged under 20 articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.

On January 17, 2025, the “trial” began in the military court of Baku, almost one year and five months after the unlawful arrest.

On February 18, 2025, Ruben Vardanyan announced a second hunger strike in protest against the trial, which he called unfair.

On February 27, 2025, the charitable foundation Doctors and Volunteers of Armenia. VIVA expressed serious concern about Ruben Vardanyan’s health after the prolonged hunger strike and called on international humanitarian and medical organizations to intervene urgently.

In March 2025, a rally in support of Armenian prisoners was held at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Its participants demanded that the EU leadership take measures in response to human rights violations in Azerbaijan and seek the release of Armenian prisoners.

On March 12, 2025, the European Parliament adopted a resolution demanding the release of Armenian hostages.

Also in March, the Buenos Aires chapter of the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR) issued a statement in support of Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners, calling on international organizations to seek their release and a fair trial.

On June 5, 2025, lawyer Avraham Berman stated that Vardanyan was being accused of something he could not in fact have committed. He recalled that criminal liability can arise only when four fundamental principles are observed: the principle of individual responsibility, the qualification of acts in accordance with the principle of legal certainty, consideration of the state’s international obligations, and strict observance of procedural guarantees.

On July 11, 2025, Siranush Sahakyan, the representative of Armenian prisoners before the European Court of Human Rights, stated that the trial was fundamentally unfair and that the defense was deprived of the opportunity to properly challenge the charges and prove the defendant’s innocence.

On September 3, 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced the termination of its activities in Azerbaijan. The ICRC had remained the only international organization with access to Armenian prisoners in Baku.

On October 21, 2025, Ruben Vardanyan refused the services of his lawyer Avraham Berman. Through his family, he conveyed that he had made this decision in protest against numerous violations of procedural rights. According to him, he was not given full access to the case materials, his ability to interact with the defense was restricted, and the defense’s motions were systematically rejected. Siranush Sahakyan stated that these circumstances alone were sufficient to conclude that the process was unfair and that the basic principles of the right to defense had been violated.

On December 18, 2025, the Azerbaijani prosecutor requested that Ruben Vardanyan be sentenced to life imprisonment.

In December 2025, the media platform Euromedia24 awarded Ruben Vardanyan the title of Outstanding Humanist. Siranush Sahakyan accepted the award on behalf of the family, emphasizing that Vardanyan’s work had always been connected with protecting human dignity, humanitarian initiatives and supporting people in crisis situations. She also called for keeping the issue of releasing Armenian prisoners on the international agenda.

In February 2026, the National Assembly of France unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the release of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan.

On February 4, 2026, Ruben Vardanyan’s son David Vardanyan, in an interview with Zeale News, called on the US leadership to use Vice President JD Vance’s upcoming visit to the region to help secure the release of Armenian prisoners. According to him, direct involvement by the US administration could help bring them home.  

In the same month, more than twenty Armenian human rights and public organizations sent an open letter to US Vice President JD Vance asking him to assist in the release of Armenian prisoners in Baku.

On February 17, 2026, the Baku Military Court sentenced Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison. According to the court’s decision, he is to spend the first 10 years in prison and the following 10 years in a high-security facility. Vardanyan was found guilty under numerous articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.

In his final statement, transmitted through his family, Ruben said that he did not recognize what was happening as a judicial process and considered the proceedings an imitation of justice that did not meet the basic standards of a fair trial.

Amnesty International stated that the verdict was the culmination of a trial that the organization described as unfair. Amnesty International noted that the defendants appeared before a military court, while numerous charges and evidence were not presented in accordance with basic fair trial standards.

On March 13, 2026, during a phone call with his family, Ruben Vardanyan tried to convey a public appeal to Azerbaijan’s Ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva. The call was interrupted before he could complete his statement. Later, the family reported that before this, he had spent 10 days unsuccessfully trying to contact the Ombudsperson through official appeals, his lawyer and phone requests.

In the same month, Siranush Sahakyan, the representative of Armenian prisoners before the ECHR, stated that the absence of the texts of the verdicts created obstacles to appealing them and restricted the prisoners’ right to an effective defense, including before international bodies.

On March 21, 2026, Azerbaijan’s Ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva visited Ruben Vardanyan in detention. According to the family, the meeting addressed humanitarian issues, detention conditions and the need to provide the full text of the verdict in a language understandable to the prisoners.

In April, the International Committee of the Red Cross stated its intention to continue dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities on humanitarian issues despite the closure of its office in the country.

In the same month, Ruben Vardanyan was transferred to the Umbaki prison complex in the Garadagh district of Baku.

On April 21, 2026, Ruben Vardanyan appealed through his family to Armenia’s Ombudsperson Anahit Manasyan. He called for considering the possibility of organizing a visit to Baku by an Armenian delegation, including relatives of prisoners, and for intensifying coordination on humanitarian issues between the ombudspersons of the two countries.

The office of Armenia’s Ombudsperson replied that it did not have the mandate to organize such visits. It also questioned the assertion that the Azerbaijani side was ready to facilitate such a trip.

At the end of April, Armenian human rights and public organizations appealed to the leadership of the European Union, calling on it to help secure the release of Armenian prisoners. The authors of the letter emphasized that their release is an important condition for achieving lasting peace in the region.

In early May 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron stated his intention to discuss the issue of Armenian prisoners with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The families of Armenian prisoners addressed an open letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, calling on the Canadian authorities to take a more active role in efforts to release the Armenians held in Baku.

Also in May 2026, a group of international human rights defenders announced the nomination of Ruben Vardanyan for the 2026 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. The authors of the initiative noted his contribution to humanitarian projects, the protection of human rights and support for the residents of Artsakh.

On June 15, 2026, Ruben Vardanyan’s wife Veronika Zonabend announced the launch of an international women’s humanitarian initiative in support of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan. As part of the initiative, a collection of letters of support for Armenian prisoners was announced; the letters are planned to be delivered together with family parcels during a humanitarian trip.

8. What are they saying around the world?

In early October 2023, the Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned the arrests of Artsakh representatives, including Ruben Vardanyan. The Foreign Ministry noted that Baku continued the arrests despite the ongoing dialogue with Stepanakert representatives and assurances of establishing peace in the region.

Prominent figures of culture and science from Russia have also asked the Azerbaijani authorities to release Vardanyan. In their open letter, they emphasized his contributions to the development of education and charity in the Russian Federation and abroad.

It is noted that the philanthropist has always opposed all manifestations and forms of violence and supported equal dialogue in all circumstances. “We appeal to everyone who has the power to secure Ruben Vardanyan’s release. We urge you to give him the opportunity to reunite with his family and return to creative work for the benefit of people,” the letter reads.

Among those signing the appeal are film director Alexander Sokurov, public figure Natalia Solzhenitsyna, founder of the Vera Foundation Nyuta Federmesser and former head of the Presidential Administration of Russia Alexander Voloshin.

On October 5, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke about Vardanyan’s fate. The head of state made a statement during the plenary session of the 20th meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi. When the moderator asked whether Russia could call on the Azerbaijani leadership to show mercy towards the former leaders of Artsakh, Putin replied: “We always have and we continue to do so now.”

In early October, based on Rule 39 of the Court, the representative of the Republic of Armenia for international legal issues appealed to the ECHR with a demand to guarantee the rights of all former and current Artsakh leaders, in accordance with Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention, and to oblige Azerbaijan to immediately release Vardanyan and all people detained along with him.

On October 10, the community of graduates of the Skolkovo School of Management made an open appeal in support of Ruben Vardanyan. The former students called for his release from prison so that he could return to his family and continue working on educational and humanitarian projects.

In early November 2023, Noubar Afeyan, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Moderna, expressed hope that the world would not turn a blind eye to Vardanyan’s arrest. The businessman called the Azerbaijani side’s accusations groundless and having “no factual basis.”

Famous British actor of Armenian origin Kev Orkian called on international organizations to secure the release of Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners. He believes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan can only be demanded once this issue is resolved.

On November 8, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo pointed out the inadmissibility of arbitrary arrests of Artsakh residents, including Ruben Vardanyan. As Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Vahan Kostanyan informed, the ministry uses all available resources to accelerate the return of the illegally detained prisoners. He emphasized that the country raises this issue on all international platforms.

On November 15, National Assembly of Artsakh Member Metaxe Hakobyan stated that after arriving in the region, Ruben Vardanyan quickly proved to the residents that he was one of them and that love for the motherland is not about a comfortable life, but about “living through its pain and suffering.”

In early December, former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno Ocampo called the current situation “the culmination of a genocide.” Prominent writer and professor Nassim Taleb said that Vardanyan was being treated like a terrorist.

On December 12, 2023, more than 150 humanitarian figures, politicians and businessmen from all over the world signed an open letter calling for the release of former Artsakh leaders. They expressed concern about the detention conditions of those arrested and their fate.

At the end of December, representatives of the major non-profit organization Center for Victims of Torture wrote an open letter to the Azerbaijani authorities calling for the release of Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners. According to the Center, the detention of these people violates international law.

The social entrepreneur’s wife Veronika Zonabend broke her silence for the first time after her husband’s detention and gave a lengthy interview. According to her, all Ruben Vardanyan’s initiatives continue despite his unlawful arrest.

“Of course, it is hard without Ruben, but at the same time, the need to continue our initiatives has become our foothold. It is important to us that the projects we started together live and develop. A lot of people depend on us, and we support our activities as far as the current circumstances allow,” Veronika Zonabend said.

In March 2024, the fate of Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners was discussed at a major European Parliament conference in Brussels. Ambassador of Armenia to Belgium Tigran Balayan noted that the unresolved situation “is poisoning the atmosphere.” During the same month, the American Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention called on the international community to persuade Azerbaijan to immediately release all Armenian prisoners.

In early May, the Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated its position in favor of the exchange and transfer of Armenian prisoners according to the formula “all for all.” The UN Committee Against Torture expressed concern over reports of Azerbaijan’s ill-treatment of Armenian prisoners.

In June, during preparations for COP29 in Bonn, participants of the Free Armenian Prisoners team demanded that Azerbaijan release Vardanyan and the other illegally detained Armenians.

In mid-July, Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia asked Iran to intervene for the speedy return of Ruben Vardanyan and the other prisoners.

In July 2024, Siranush Sahakyan, the representative of Armenian prisoners of war before the ECHR, stated the need to ensure foreign presence at court hearings in the cases of the former leaders of Artsakh. She pointed out that the investigation in Azerbaijan was not transparent.

The British publication Express published an article by former Vice Chair of the UN Global Compact Paul Polman on the international community’s reaction to the unlawful arrest of Vardanyan and other prisoners. It was emphasized that Baku was preparing to host the COP29 summit in November. According to Polman, for politicians from different countries and for the public, this was an opportunity to secure the prisoners’ release.

At the end of July, former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said that the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference COP29 in Baku in November was an unprecedented opportunity to free Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners. He called on Armenians around the world to launch a large-scale information campaign in support of their compatriots.

In October 2024, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, in a video address to participants of a youth conference on climate justice in Dilijan, expressed hope that Azerbaijan, which was hosting COP29 that year, would demonstrate a commitment to peace and release Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian political prisoners and captives.

In November, Pulitzer Prize laureate Dele Olojede called Vardanyan’s arrest an injustice and said that international pressure from the United States, the European Union and other states could influence Baku’s position. According to him, Ruben Vardanyan devoted his work to serving society and should return to his family and humanitarian work.

After the trial began in January 2025, Azerbaijan expert and PhD in history Tatev Hayrapetyan stated that the process was being used as a tool of pressure on Armenia and was accompanied by an information campaign aimed at intensifying Armenophobic sentiment.

At the end of January, Eva Merkacheva, a member of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, called for Ruben to be provided with full-fledged defense and noted that he is a civilian who did not take part in hostilities. She also reported that Ruben Vardanyan was being pressured to give up his chosen lawyer in favor of a state-appointed defender. Merkacheva emphasized that the right to choose one’s own lawyer is one of the basic principles of a fair trial.

In February, American journalist of Armenian origin David Ignatius, in an article for The Washington Post, called on the US administration to pay attention to the fate of Armenian prisoners. Writer and economist Vahan Zanoyan called the charges against Vardanyan absurd and said that the trial had symbolic significance as pressure on the entire Armenian people.

In March 2025, Pakistani activist and Aurora Prize finalist Syeda Ghulam Fatima stated her intention to come to Baku to attend the court hearings in solidarity with Ruben Vardanyan.

In the same month, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church issued an open appeal to Christians around the world, calling on them to seek the release of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians. They stressed that achieving long-term peace is impossible without resolving humanitarian issues and returning all detainees.

A group of American Christian activists sent an open letter to US President Donald Trump asking him to help secure the release of Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners. The authors stated that the situation required urgent intervention because of the deterioration of Vardanyan’s health during the hunger strike.

At the same time, Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the United Kingdom and Ireland, together with representatives of other faiths, appealed to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling for the release of the former leaders of Artsakh and attention to violations of the principles of a fair trial.

In March 2025, Tom Catena, chief physician of the Mother of Mercy Hospital in Sudan and an Aurora Prize laureate, made a video statement in support of Vardanyan. The renowned doctor and humanitarian spoke about his acquaintance with the philanthropist and stressed that the charges against him had no basis.

Swedish social anthropologist and specialist on the Karabakh conflict Rasmus Canbäck wrote an article about Armenian political prisoners in Azerbaijan. According to the expert, the repression of Ruben Vardanyan and other former leaders of Artsakh both destabilizes the situation inside Armenia and further turns Azerbaijani society against Yerevan.

In April 2025, Aram Abrahamyan, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Aravot, dedicated a column to Ruben Vardanyan, concluding that idealism has practical value for the nation as a whole.

Later, already in 2026, Abrahamyan returned to the topic of Vardanyan, contrasting his stance with the behavior of Armenian politicians who avoid even mentioning Artsakh. The columnist noted that, while in a Baku prison and risking his own life, Vardanyan continues to publicly defend his convictions, demonstrating an example of personal and national dignity.

In June 2025, the website of Christian Solidarity International (CSI) published a lengthy article about Ruben’s case. The authors called him a key figure of resistance to Azerbaijan and gave a detailed account of the philanthropist’s arrest and subsequent trial.

In the same month, actor and director Vardan Petrosyan stated that the trial of Vardanyan had the character of political reprisal and was aimed not only against Ruben himself, but against the entire Armenian people. According to Petrosyan, the purpose of what was happening was to break a person morally, though he expressed confidence that Vardanyan would withstand this ordeal.

In August, Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, called for the world to be told more actively about the fate of Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners. According to Rubin, every project of Ruben Vardanyan’s foundation should remind the international community of a person who sacrificed his own freedom for his people and his country.

In the same month, Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, stated that Vardanyan had not participated in hostilities and had sought to contribute to the preservation of peace and security for the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. In his view, the trial of the former leaders of Artsakh was an act of revenge by Baku.

In November 2025, Paul Polman, member of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee, co-founder of IMAGINE and former Vice Chair of the UN Global Compact, stated that despite imprisonment, Vardanyan’s voice and ideas continue to live on through people who share his convictions. According to Polman, Ruben’s example shows that the power of purpose can prove stronger than any punishment.

After the verdict was delivered in February 2026, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Marie Struthers called the trial of Vardanyan and other former Artsakh leaders a “judicial farce.” The organization pointed to numerous violations of the principles of a fair trial, including the hearing of the case in a military court, restrictions on access to case materials and the absence of proper translation of documents for the defendants.

In February 2026, the Aznavour Foundation expressed support for Ruben Vardanyan. Nicolas and Kristina Aznavour declared their solidarity with him and his family, emphasizing Vardanyan’s contribution to the development of education, charity and public initiatives in Armenia and Artsakh.

At the same time, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative issued a statement condemning the verdict and calling on the international community to seek the release of its co-founder. The foundation noted that Vardanyan’s work over decades had been connected with supporting education, providing humanitarian assistance and protecting human dignity, and that his conviction was a severe blow to his family and all those involved in the initiative.

Also in May 2026, a group of international human rights defenders and public figures announced the nomination of Ruben Vardanyan for the 2026 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. The authors of the initiative noted his contribution to humanitarian projects, the protection of human rights and support for the residents of Artsakh.