Former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan on Tuesday became ill in a military courtroom in Baku during his sham trial. Vardanyan last week announced that he was going on a hunger strike to protest what he called a “judicial farce.”
Vardanyan’s sudden worsening condition prompted the court to halt the proceedings to provide a medical examination. The trial resumed following the brief recess, according to the state-run Azerbaijani press.
Following the recess, Vardanyan reportedly refused to offer any testimony regarding the more than 45 charges being levied by Azerbaijani prosecutors.
The trial will resume on March 4.
Vardanyan, who was captured along with other Artsakh leaders in the days following the brutal Azerbaijani attack in September 2023 that led to the forced displacement of Artsakh’s Armenian population, is being tried separately and is facing upward of 45 charges.
His trial began last month. However, his pleas to be allowed to review the charges with his attorney have been continuously denied by the presiding judge in the case.
Vardanyan’s trial is being held behind closed doors, with only the state-run Azerbaijani press disseminating identical information after each court session.
Earlier this month, Vardanyan was charged with allegedly plotting the assassination of high-level Azerbaijani officials, in what the court termed “Operation Nemesis 2.0.”
In announcing his hunger strike on February 19, Vardanyan said, “What is happening in the courtroom cannot be called a trial – this is a political show, in which my right to a fair hearing is being deliberately disregarded.”
“Sadly, it has been clear from the beginning that this case is all about persecuting me as an Armenian simply for exercising my rights to freedom of opinion and expression and political participation under international law, which have been aimed at protecting the rights of the Armenian-Christian population of Artsakh,” Vardanyan emphasized last week.
He listed the following ways to describe how his trial has been “replete with egregious abuses of due process.”
- I am being tried in an illegal military tribunal and not a civilian court.
- I have not been granted full access to the indictment and so called “evidence” against me – 422 volumes in Azerbaijani, for which I was given only 21 working days to review, which have been classified as “state secrets.”
- The “indictment” presented to me is not an official document, as it lacks the signatures of my accusers. Even the translation of this so-called document contains gross errors, making it impossible for me to understand the charges against me.
- I have been denied my right to defense – my local lawyer, Avraam Berman, has had his access to materials restricted, his documents confiscated, and he has been subjected to psychological pressure. Further, my international legal team has been barred from communicating or visiting me and has not had access to any of the case materials
- I have not been allowed to summon defense witnesses or file complaints regarding the violations committed during the investigation and trial.
- All of the hearings have been secret and closed to the public. Foreign journalists and independent international representatives have been barred from the courtroom.”
