The legal team representing former Nagorno-Karabakh Minister of State, Ruben Vardanyan, has made serious allegations in a recent letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. The letter claims that Vardanyan and an unnamed Armenian business leader were subjected to torture while in custody in Azerbaijan. These allegations follow their engagement in a hunger strike while detained. Vardanyan was taken as a political prisoner on September 27, 2023, near the Lachin corridor while attempting to cross into Armenia during what has been described as an Azerbaijani campaign of ethnic cleansing in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Details of these claims are documented in the letter.
According to Vardanyan’s legal team, during his hunger strike, he was subjected to severe forms of mistreatment, including being placed in a punishment cell, denied access to drinking water, deprived of sleep, forced to hold stress positions, denied legal counsel, and held incommunicado. Jared Genser, Vardanyan’s international counsel, commented on the situation, emphasizing Vardanyan’s long-standing advocacy for the human rights of Nagorno-Karabakh residents and condemning the alleged actions taken by Azerbaijan in an attempt to silence him (source).
The letter further noted a troubling pattern of torture and abuse of political prisoners by Azerbaijani authorities, with no signs of abating: “We are still unaware of the full extent of the psychological and physical trauma resulting from this treatment,” it stated. The legal team has called on Azerbaijan to ensure the protection of Vardanyan’s physical and mental integrity.
These allegations come at a time when international attention is focused on the region. Political figures, including US Senator Ed Markey, have voiced concerns and called for Vardanyan’s release. Markey publicly stated, “We must hold Azerbaijan accountable and ensure it doesn’t delay the release of its political prisoners even one more day” (source).
In a related context, the Center for Truth and Justice, a human rights organization based in Armenia, recently published a report claiming that acts of genocide have been committed in Nagorno-Karabakh since 2021. Additionally, the International Court of Justice ordered Azerbaijan in August 2023 to allow ethnic Armenians who had fled Nagorno-Karabakh to return to their homes and ensure the safety of Armenians remaining in the enclave (source).
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