The 26th session of the judicial farce against Ruben Vardanyan will continue today at the Baku Military Court.
Last week, Siranush Sahakyan, lawyer and representative of the interests of Armenian prisoners of war in the European Court of Human Rights, published a detailed document outlining all the legal violations committed against Ruben Vardanyan during both the pre-trial investigation and the trial process.
“As a result, a fundamentally unjust judicial situation has been created, in which the defense is deprived of any realistic opportunity to challenge the charges or prove their innocence. In such conditions, the very notion of a fair trial turns into a formality devoid of any substance,” Sahakyan emphasized.
The lawyer highlighted that these violations have made it impossible for Ruben Vardanyan to mount an effective defense. “These violations together have created a legal environment where he is effectively deprived of any meaningful opportunity to dispute the accusations or present exculpatory evidence,” the published document states.
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Although it is not possible to obtain even minimal information regarding the other prisoners, there is no doubt that they face the same situation.
The Free Armenian Prisoners website routinely publishes the results of Ruben Vardanyan’s court hearings based on information shared with his family by local lawyer Avraam Berman.
At the previous session on July 8, Ruben Vardanyan and his lawyer once again filed a motion to review excerpts of previous court decisions, which was denied.
During the other part of the session, alleged victims testified regarding injuries they sustained during military operations. As in previous hearings, none of the individuals who testified had ever met Ruben Vardanyan personally. All stated that they had only heard about him through the media or social networks. No factual evidence was presented linking Ruben Vardanyan to the incidents described.
Ruben Vardanyan and the other 22 Armenian prisoners have been illegally detained in Baku for approximately 656 days. The international community and human rights organizations have repeatedly called for the immediate and unconditional release of the Armenian Christian political prisoners and prisoners of war.
Free Armenian Prisoners
