Ruben Vardanyan declined to appeal the Baku court's verdict.

The former state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, sentenced in Baku to 20 years in prison, declined to appeal, explaining that he does not recognize the verdict as an act of justice.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 17, the Baku Military Court sentenced Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison. The defendant, who headed the Karabakh government for several months during the blockade of the Lachin corridor, was found guilty of war crimes. A lawyer provided to Vardanyan by the Azerbaijani authorities was present at the hearing. The court found Vardanyan guilty without evidence, but there was no hope for a fair trial, his relatives said.

Ruben Vardanyan has decided not to appeal the verdict, his relatives stated. "This decision does not signify agreement with the verdict and does not constitute a waiver of defense. It is a conscious refusal to legitimize a process that lacked the hallmarks of justice from the very beginning," News.am quoted Vardanyan's family as saying today.

An appeal makes sense if there is an opportunity to correct the errors of the trial court, the relatives of the convicted man explained. "But when violations are systemic and affect fundamental principles of justice, an appeal becomes yet another tool for legitimizing unlawful prosecution. Filing an appeal under these circumstances would mean admitting that the trial somehow met the minimum legal requirements. This is far from the case," they noted.

This is not the end of the fight, but a refusal to participate in a farce.

According to them, Ruben Vardanyan "refuses to participate in the imitation" of a legal process. "He does not recognize the verdict as a legal act of justice and considers it part of a politically motivated and unlawful prosecution, which is nothing more than a denial of justice. Refusing to appeal is not the end of the fight, but a refusal to participate in a farce," Vardanyan's relatives stated, emphasizing that they will continue to "seek justice through international legal mechanisms."

19:42 19.09.2024

The Beginning and End of the Unrecognized Republic of Artsakh

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) is an unrecognized state on territory that for several decades was the scene of interethnic clashes and conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the fall of 1991, the NKR declared its independence, and in September 2023, it ceased to exist.

As a reminder, Ruben Vardanyan only announced his decision to renounce his Russian citizenship and move to Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2022 to support local residents who were "in a grave psychological state." In October 2022, Vardanyan agreed to head the government, and became state minister on November 4, 2022. However, on February 23, 2023, Vardanyan was dismissed after serving as state minister for less than four months. During this period, Vardanyan was forced to seek solutions to the problems faced by residents of Nagorno-Karabakh due to the blockade of the Lachin corridor.

Later, in the Baku court, Vardanyan's defense pointed out that the prosecution accused him of events that occurred, in part, many years before his arrival in Karabakh.

Azerbaijani citizens recognized as victims also testified to this in court. In particular, they spoke about shelling in the Kelbajar region, which came under the control of Baku back in 2020, and in the Zangilan region, which was also occupied by Azerbaijan in 2020.

The same court, since January 2025, has been hearing the case of 15 former leaders and residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, detained in September-October 2023. They were charged under 20 articles of the Criminal Code, including war crimes. All defendants pleaded not guilty, but on February 5, the court sentenced them to life and other long-term prison terms.

The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared reports "Highlights of the Sentences of Former Nagorno-Karabakh Leaders" and "Vardanyan and 15 Karabakh Leaders: Highlights of the Baku Courts".