Ruben Vardanyan`s legal team: Verdict against Ruben Vardanyan cannot  be considered legitimate

ArmInfo.On February 17, the military court in Baku sentenced Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years  of imprisonment. This verdict was not the product of an independent and impartial judicial process, as noted in a statement issued by Ruben Vardanyan's legal team. 

The statement reads as follows: "It was the foreseeable outcome of  proceedings driven by political considerations and fundamentally  incompatible with the standards of a fair trial.  As his legal  representatives, we state unequivocally that this conviction is  legally unsustainable.  From the outset, the proceedings were marred  by serious and systemic violations of both Azerbaijan's domestic law  and its binding international obligations. The tribunal failed to  meet the requirements of independence and impartiality guaranteed  under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and  the European Convention on Human Rights. The presumption of innocence  was compromised by the framing and substance of the charges.

The defense was denied meaningful access to the case file, afforded  grossly inadequate time to examine extensive materials, and  repeatedly obstructed in submitting motions and presenting  exculpatory evidence.  Mr. Vardanyan was not granted full and  independent access to legal counsel of his own choosing. These  violations were not procedural irregularities; they directly deprived  him of his fundamental right to prepare and present an effective  defense.  The adversarial character of the proceedings was  effectively dismantled. Mr. Vardanyan was not provided a genuine  opportunity to contest the charges before a competent, independent,  and impartial tribunal. In such circumstances, the integrity of the  verdict cannot be maintained.

The nature of the charges further underscores the political character  of the prosecution. Mr. Vardanyan has been held criminally liable not  on the basis of individualized conduct established beyond reasonable  doubt, but for political engagement and public service associated  with Artsakh / Nagorno Kharabakh institutions.  Contemporary criminal  law, whether domestic or international, does not permit the  criminalization of identity, political affiliation, or participation  in governance structures absent specific and proven criminal acts.

The cumulative effect of these violations leads to one unavoidable  conclusion: Ruben Vardanyan was denied a fair trial in any meaningful  sense of that term. His conviction reflects a broader pattern  affecting ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh and raises profound  concerns for the rule of law. Therefore, this trial, like the  recently completed trial against the other fifteen Armenians, is  offensive.

We call upon international organizations, human rights mechanisms,  and responsible governments to take immediate and concrete steps to  protect the rights of Mr. Vardanyan and the other Armenians insulted  and held in Baku, and to secure their release. The normalization of  politically motivated prosecution threatens not only the individuals  concerned but the credibility of the international legal order  itself."

Recall, today, an Azerbaijani puppet court sentenced former Artsakh  State Minister and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in  prison. Vardanyan, captured by Azerbaijan in late September 2023  following the forcible subjugation of Artsakh, is accused by  Azerbaijani occupation forces of crimes "against peace and humanity,  war crimes, terrorism, financing terrorism, and other serious  crimes." Deprived of any access to justice or a proper defense of his  rights, Vardanyan denies his guilt.