Call to Action
From Satik Seyranyan, President of the Union of Journalists of Armenia
Dear Colleagues,
We, the Union of Journalists of Armenia, urgently call for your attention and request your assistance in addressing a critical human rights emergency unfolding in Azerbaijan.
In 2022, following a 10-month blockade, Azerbaijan began a campaign to ethnically cleanse Nagorno-Karabakh of its Armenian population, in blatant violation of international law. On September 27, 2023, during the forced mass deportation of all Armenians from the region, Azerbaijani authorities arrested and detained several leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh. Among those is influential Armenian business leader, social entrepreneur, and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan, who relocated to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022 to show his solidarity with the people of Nagorno Karabakh and took on the role of State Minister that same year.
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Ruben Vardanyan has consistently been an advocate for humanitarian values and has never served in any military capacity. He has always promoted peace and negotiations as the solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He founded the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative to honor those who risk their lives to save others, especially in conflict-ridden areas. Together with his family and international partners, Vardanyan has directed over $1.5 billion towards economic development, humanitarian aid, and global education initiatives.
Currently, Vardanyan and the other Armenians are subjected to ill-treatment and torture in Baku prisons and are denied fair trials. All hearings have been held in secret, with foreign journalists and independent observers barred from attending. The Baku Military Court is conducting closed-door sham trials, selectively allowing only two Azerbaijani state media representatives to witness the proceedings and share their material with the other media outlets. These media outlets produce identical reports, clearly evidencing a biased state narrative.
Ruben Vardanyan faces 42 charges, some of which carry sentences up to life imprisonment. However, he and the other prisoners have been denied access to their official indictments. Vardanyan has spent most of his detention in solitary confinement, enduring abhorrent sanitary conditions, and has been coerced into signing backdated documents, including falsified protocols and records of interrogations that never occurred. Vardanyan and his attorney, who do not speak Azerbaijani, were allowed merely four weeks prior to his trial to skim through 422 volumes of case files, all written solely in the Azerbaijani language. Please see Vardanyan’s statement issued on January 16, 2025, regarding his illegal incarceration and inhumane treatment (https://freearmenianprisoners.com/ruben-vardanyans-trial…/ )
On February 19, 2025, Ruben Vardanyan declared a hunger strike in protest against the ongoing politically motivated trial marked by severe violations of international law and due process (https://freearmenianprisoners.com/armenian-political…/).
On February 26, 2025, Vardanyan’s international lawyer, Jared Genser, reported that Vardanyan’s health is rapidly deteriorating, with dangerously high blood pressure and drastic weight loss, necessitating urgent medical intervention. He reported that on several occasions Vardanyan came close to passing out during the trial, but his requests for postponement were denied (https://freearmenianprisoners.com/armenian-christian…/).
The latest trial photos, selectively released, show clear signs of torture and a significant deterioration in Ruben Vardanyan’s health. His dire condition, exacerbated by a hunger strike, has reached a life-threatening stage, and calls for immediate intervention.
Call to Action: As Armenian journalists, we are barred from entering Azerbaijan to report directly. We rely on you, the international media, to act as our eyes and ears. Your participation and reporting are crucial for global awareness and applying international pressure.
We urge you to leverage your platforms to:
• Investigative Reporting: Shine a light on the unjust treatments and trials of Armenian Prisoners of War in Azerbaijan.
• Legal Observation: Encourage legal bodies to monitor these trials to ensure they meet international standards of fairness.
• Immediate Medical Attention: Highlight the urgent need for medical care for Mr. Vardanyan and other prisoners.
We Count on Your Support: The situation in Azerbaijan serves as a critical test of international human rights principles and the integrity of journalism. We urge you to mobilize your resources and networks to advocate for justice and uphold fundamental humanitarian standards. By bringing these urgent issues to light, we can make a tangible impact and potentially save lives.
Thank you for standing with us in the pursuit of truth and justice.
Sincerely, Satik Seyranyan
President of the Union of Armenian Journalists
