“On the eve of the trial, political prisoner and Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan said that his lawyer and interpreter were forced to sign documents retroactively, including falsified protocols of interrogations that were not actually conducted. Ruben was not given the opportunity to get acquainted with the case in a language he understood, was tortured, forbidden to drink water and use toilet paper, and was subjected to other inhumane actions. And he is not the first to complain about prison conditions in Azerbaijan.

Vardanyan’s statement about violations of the lawyer’s defense and falsification of interrogation protocols is a serious violation that contradicts the fundamental principles of the right to a fair trial.

I would like to emphasize that Azerbaijan, violating the Geneva Conventions, refuses to return Armenian prisoners of war. The accusations against the former leadership of Artsakh and others are clearly political in nature. Allegations of terrorism and the establishment of illegal armed groups serve exclusively political interests and violate the norms of international humanitarian law.

In light of the above, I called on my international partners to demand that Azerbaijan comply with its international obligations and immediately return all Armenian prisoners to their homeland”.