ArmInfo. Vaclav Havel Prize nominee Ruben Vardanyan is suffering in Azerbaijani prison. The Czech newspaper Idnes.cz has highlighted Ruben Vardanyan's nomination for the 2026 Vaclav Havel Prize bringing renewed attention to his imprisonment and the ongoing detention of other Armenian prisoners of war in Baku.
The publication notes, in particular, that former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, including Ruben Vardanyan, a potential winner of the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize, were sentenced in Baku to harsh sentences, some of which are life sentences.
Amnesty International has described these trials as "opaque" and "fabricated." The situation was also criticized by the European Parliament, which, in a special resolution, has condemned the unlawful detention of Armenian prisoners of war and reaffirmed its support for the rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. In February 2026, following the sentencing of Ruben Vardanyan, Amnesty International called the trial of ethnic Armenians a travesty of justice. The full text of the indictment was not made public during the trial, and Amnesty International's requests for clarification from the Azerbaijani authorities went unanswered.
The media recalls that Ruben Vardanyan, the former State Minister of Artsakh who is currently being held in a prison in Baku, has been nominated for the 2026 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize by a group of international human rights defenders and humanitarian figures. Thee nomination is based on Vardanyan s contributions to global human rights efforts through the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. This nonprofit initiative supports humanitarian workers who assist people threatened by war, violence, and persecution.
The nominees believe that the award will not only be a fitting recognition of Ruben Vardanyan's humanitarian work but also a significant incentive for his release, as well as for the release of other Armenian prisoners held in Baku.
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