The International Committee of the Red Cross and its president were urged to pay more attention to the plight of Armenians illegally being held captive in Azerbaijan, during a protest on Monday, in front of the Geneva-based organization’s headquarters in Yerevan.
In a letter addressed to ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, the protesters called on her to personally visit the captives, including former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, who since February 19 has been on a hunger strike to protest his treatment in captivity and his farce trial.
Vardanyan collapsed during one of the court sessions, but his international attorney Jaren Genser, who has been barred from representing him in Baku, expressed serious concern for his client’s “deteriorating health” in a statement last week.
“We are writing to you with deep concern regarding the health condition of Ruben Vardanyan, who has been on a hunger strike for over two weeks while being held in a Baku prison, as well as the situation of other Armenian political prisoners who are being illegally prosecuted in Azerbaijan,” the letter to the ICRC president read.
“Given that he [Vardanyan] is being illegally prosecuted on political grounds and has been on a prolonged hunger strike, his condition could rapidly worsen, leading to irreversible consequences. Equally concerning is the situation of other Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan, who are also being prosecuted on political grounds and subjected to unfair treatment and ethnically motivated persecution,” the letter added.
“The ICRC has exclusive jurisdiction and a mandate in the field of prisoner protection. Therefore, your intervention in this situation is not only justified but necessary,” the protesters urged in the letter.
They also outlined the following asks from the ICRC president:
- Conduct an immediate visit to Ruben Vardanyan to carry out an independent medical assessment.
- Ensure impartial monitoring of his health condition and guarantee that he receives the necessary medical care. For sure, the same approach should be applicable also to all the other Armenian detainees.
- Address the causes of Ruben Vardanyan’s hunger strike and mediate to ensure the protection of his fundamental rights. In this regard, special attention should be given to uncovering the causes of the evident facial injuries, for which the Azerbaijani side bears a particular obligation.
- Present an impartial report on the detention conditions and treatment of Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners, in line with international standards.
- Take immediate measures to end the hunger strike while simultaneously addressing the underlying concerns that have led to this extreme step. It is essential that the ICRC’s next scheduled visit does not come too late.
- Conduct regular visits to all Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijani prisons to ensure their fair treatment.
- Act as an independent mediator between Armenian prisoners and Azerbaijani authorities to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law and advocate for their immediate release.
“I am appalled by not only Azerbaijan’s actions but also the terrible, inhuman policy pursued by the current Armenian authorities,” said Larisa Alaverdyan, a veteran human rights activist said during the protest.
Artak Beglarian, Artsakh’ former human rights defender, said the authorities in Yerevan are primarily to blame for the fact that Vardanyan and the 22 other Armenians are still held in Azerbaijan.
Baku allows ICRC representatives to periodically visit and talk to the prisoners. The ICRC spokeswoman in Yerevan, Zara Amatuni, said that a Red Cross doctor examined Vardanyan in jail after the start of his hunger strike.
Political activist, Mane Tandilian, and two other Vardanyan supporters went on hunger strike in Yerevan’s Liberty Square on Saturday to implore the former Artsakh State Minister to stop refusing food.
“This is a request to him to return to Armenia, to preserve his health, to persevere because he is dear to every Armenian,” Tandilyan said on Monday. She was hopeful that Vardanyan’s family will be able to communicate the request to him soon.
