Ruben Vardanyan announces hunger strike to protest  judicial farce

ArmInfo.The family of Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian political prisoner, has conveyed his  message to the international community, after a brief telephone call, in protest against the staged "judicial" process against him on February 19, 2025. The message reads as follows:

 "Yesterday, I have decided to protest by declaring a hunger strike  against the judicial farce being carried out against me. This is my  response to the blatant violations of Azerbaijani procedural law and  international law. 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.  For the past month,  my local lawyer - Avraam Berman and I have tried to make it clear to  the court that it is critical for me that this so-called "trial" be  objective rather than a staged performance. 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.

Despite Azerbaijan being a State Party to the European Convention on  Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political  Rights, this process has also been replete with egregious due process  abuses:  1. I am being tried in an illegal military tribunal and not  a civilian court.  2. 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." 3. 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.  4. 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 5. I have not been allowed to summon defense witnesses  or file complaints regarding the violations committed during the  investigation and trial.  6. All of the hearings have been secret and  closed to the public. Foreign journalists and independent  international representatives have been barred from the courtroom.   This so-called 'trial' is not just against me. It is an attempt to  criminalize all Armenians - all those who supported and demonstrated  compassion toward Artsakh and its people, all those who showed  compassion.  This is an attack on an entire nation. I refuse to  participate in this farce.  I appeal to world leaders, international  organizations, human rights defenders, and members of the press:   This process demands your attention.The imitation of justice is an  endorsement of lawlessness and injustice. Silence in the face of such  violations paves the way for future tragedies, fueling hostility and  a new wave of hatred. Only through truth, law, and humanity can peace  and justice be ensured in the region".