ArmInfo.Armenia has filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the application of temporary measures against Azerbaijan in order to protect the rights of Ruben Vardanyan, the former Minister of State of Artsakh, public and political figure. Yeghishe Kirakosyan, Armenia's Representative on International Legal Matters, told reporters on September 28.
According to him, the application was sent yesterday. The document contains a demand for guarantees of respect for Vardanyan's rights in accordance with the International Convention on Human Rights. The priority issues are related to the prohibition of torture and the right to life of the arrested person.
Kirakosyan expressed hope for a quick response from the ECHR. "We are in constant contact with the Court and Vardanyan's relatives," Kirakosyan said, without ruling out the possibility of appealing to other courts, in particular, the UN International Court of Justice.
Yeghishe Kirakosyan pointed to a "black list" presented in the media, compiled by the Azerbaijani authorities, which involves the application of legal measures against a number of former and current officials of Nagorno-Karabakh. He noted that Yerevan will be consistent in this direction. "I must state with regret that it is unlikely that it will be possible to prevent possible detentions, but with the use of certain legal mechanisms, Yerevan will try to solve this problem," Kirakosyan said.
The Azerbaijani court made a decision to detain the former Minister of State of Nagorno Karabakh Ruben Vardanyan for four months. He faces 14 years in prison. Earlier, the border service of Azerbaijan announced that Vardanyan is accused of "financing terrorism". Vardanyan was detained on September 27, while trying to leave Armenia. He moved to Nagorno Karabakh on September 1, 2022, becoming a state minister on November 4, 2022, and was dismissed on February 23, 2023.