David Vardanyan: Christians around world awaiting release of  Armenians held in Baku prisons ahead of Christmas

ArmInfo.  Christians around the world are awaiting the release of Armenians held in Baku  prisons ahead of Christmas. This is stated in an article by David  Vardanyan, the son of Ruben Vardanyan, who has been illegally held in  Baku since September 2023, for the Christian Post.

David Vardanyan noted that Christians around the world are currently  facing unprecedented levels of persecution and discrimination.

According to him, recent estimates show that hundreds of millions of  Christians-one in seven believers worldwide and one in five in  Africa-live in places where their faith puts them in daily danger. In  the past year alone, more than a quarter of a million Christians have  been forced to flee their homes. "These aren't just statistics. These  are families. This is the future. And for my family, this crisis has  a name: Ruben Vardanyan. As the world prepares to celebrate  Christmas, a holiday of hope and freedom, my sisters, my younger  brother, and I cling to the hope of seeing our father again. My  daughter never met her grandfather; she was born almost two years  ago, after he was captured. Today, my father and 22 other Armenian  Christians remain imprisoned in Baku, denied due process, spiritual  support, and even the right to a Bible," Vardanyan Jr. noted.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the world is not silent, and  Ruben Vardanyan's case has received bipartisan support in the U.S.  Congress, as well as the support of the French Parliament, the  European Parliament, and leading human rights organizations like  Amnesty International, calling for his immediate and unconditional  release. "These voices are unanimous: his detention is illegal and  unjustified. Yet, my father remains behind bars. The diplomatic  agreement announced at the White House on August 8 paved the way for  peace and raised hopes for the release of Armenian prisoners. But  Azerbaijan has not kept this promise," noted David Vardanyan.

At the same time, he is confident that Washington has significant  leverage over Azerbaijan, which seeks stronger economic partnerships  with the West, closer defense and diplomatic ties, and seeks to  assert its global legitimacy. And most importantly, it listens to the  United States.

"This is where strong leadership is needed. President Donald Trump  has a well-documented history of personally intervening to secure the  freedom of unjustly imprisoned people from Sudan to Pakistan. The  same focused leadership today can make the difference between  reuniting families or their desperate wait.  My father always taught  us that faith without courage is just a word, and that light always  triumphs over darkness. Even after two years behind bars, he did not  give up and continues to carry that light. If we believe that  religious freedom is a universal human right, then we cannot turn a  blind eye to the wrongful imprisonment of Armenian Christians and the  man who stood beside them, helping them survive. The world is  watching. A century ago, our ancestors were saved from the Armenian  Genocide only because others had the courage to act. Today, Armenian  Christians face new persecution and the familiar threat of  extermination. History will remember those who demanded justice and  those who allowed silence to prevail. As Christmas approaches  "Christians around the world are watching and praying for action to  be taken again," Vardanyan Jr. concluded.

The exact number of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages held in  Azerbaijani prisons is still unknown.  Experts estimate the number to  be several hundred. Today, the Azerbaijani authorities confirm the  presence of 23 Armenians in their custody. Among those held in  Azerbaijani captivity are eight former and current members of the  military-political leadership of Artsakh. These include former  Artsakh presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik  Harutyunyan; former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan; as well as  Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan; former Commander of the Artsakh  Defense Army General Levon Mnatsakanyan; General David Manukyan; and  former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.