Prestigious French periodical Le Point published an interview with Ruben Vardanyan’s son Davit Vardanyan under the title “The world turned a blind eye to the ethnic cleansing carried out in Nagorno-Karabakh”. Below is the English translation of part of Le Point’s interview․
“For the former residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, these days are a sad anniversary. A year ago, Azerbaijan took control of the Armenian enclave and its capital, Stepanakert, forcing about 120,000 people into exile. Several Armenian political leaders, including former state minister Ruben Vardanyan, were arrested by Azerbaijani armed forces. Arrested on Sept. 27, 2023 in the Lachin Corridor, which previously served as the only crossing point between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, Ruben Vardanyan has been detained in Azerbaijan for a year now, where he awaits an alleged trial that has been repeatedly delayed. His son, Davit Vardanyan, sounds the alarm and asks the international community to put pressure on Azerbaijan to release the Armenian prisoners.
– Do you have any news of your father?
– My father was arrested on Sept. 27, 2023, along with seven other people. We learned the news from social media. It was a shock. We cannot go to see him, but sometimes we talk to him on the phone and receive messages through the International Committee of the Red Cross. The last time I spoke to him was last week.
– What can you say about his health?
– In early April, my father went on a hunger strike. We learnt of his decision two weeks later, as he was then held in solitary confinement without the possibility of communicating with the outside world, including his lawyer there. Our international lawyers are not allowed to visit him. My father was placed in a special cell; he was not allowed to drink water for 48 hours and was forced to stay on his feet for hours, which is considered torture according to international conventions. That is why we brought the issue to the attention of the U.N. special rapporteur. Under international pressure, the Azerbaijani authorities finally agreed to give him the opportunity to call his relatives. My mother was able to talk to him on the phone and convince him to stop the hunger strike.
– When is his trial scheduled?
– This is one of the most worrying issues for us. The trial was supposed to take place in January 2024. It was first arbitrarily postponed until May, then postponed once more. It is now scheduled to be held in October, but we have no guarantee that it will not be postponed again. It is usually forbidden to keep a person in custody for months without a clear charge. But unfortunately we know the method of working of the country where my father is imprisoned…
Armenians and Azerbaijanis should learn to coexist because we are neighbors and will remain neighbors. But this cannot be done by the use of force and threats.
– COP29, the 29th session of the UNFCCC COP 29, will be held in November in Azerbaijan. What message would you like to send to foreign leaders who will visit Baku?
– How can the COP be trusted to an oil state whose 90% of export revenue comes from oil, whose policy is based on extracting as much gas and oil as possible, and which, at the same time, completely violates human rights. I think we cannot separate climate justice and human rights. The two are related. If we want to be taken seriously by developing countries, which focus on conferences like the COP to see what can be done, we must demand that the host countries present the situation in detail. I hope that the rest will follow the example of Ms. Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, who publicly said that she will not attend the COP because of Azerbaijan’s behavior. From this moment until November, we have the opportunity to put pressure on Baku.
– Is the international community too lenient toward Azerbaijan?
– Azerbaijan is one of the countries with the lowest index of freedom in the world. According to Freedom House, its freedom index is seven out of 100. Among the great powers, France was the only one that called the Baku regime to account. Countries such as the U.S., the U.K. and Germany have influence over the region. They have to do a lot more than they did before.”
