Do authors of Baku `trial` know that ideas cannot be condemned? - Mane Tandilyan

ArmInfo. Mane Tandilyan, co-founder of the "Country for Life" party, responded to the Baku "court"'s verdict against former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan. "During the staged "trial" in Baku, another predetermined "verdict" was delivered: the great patriot Ruben Vardanyan was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Do the authors of this "trial" know that ideas cannot be condemned. They cannot be stifled in prison cells, they cannot be silenced by false verdicts? The declared "end point" of this insane process is in fact a new beginning. The beginning of new perseverance, new determination, a new struggle. A struggle for the return of our compatriots held in Baku prisons. A struggle for dignity, justice and national identity. Ruben, we are waiting for your return. I know that bars do not measure your freedom. I know that you are freer in spirit than your "judges" will ever be. And I promise you, there will be no silence. There will be no reconciliation with injustice. We will fight until your return home, and the return of all our captives, is "A reality," Tandilyan wrote on her Facebook page.

It's worth noting that the exact number of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages held in Azerbaijani prisons remains unknown. Experts estimate there are several hundred. Today, Azerbaijani authorities confirm the presence of 19 Armenians in their custody. Among those held in Azerbaijani captivity are former Artsakh presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan; former Foreign Minister David Babayan; as well as Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan; former Commander-in-Chief of the Artsakh Defense Army General Levon Mnatsakanyan; General David Manukyan; and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.

In early February, a Baku puppet court sentenced Arayik Harutyunyan, David Babayan, David Ishkhanyan, David Manukyan, and Levon Mnatsakanyan to life imprisonment, and Bako Sahakyan and Arkady Ghukasyan to 20 years in prison on trumped-up charges. Now, Ruben Vardanyan has joined them. The so- called court sentenced the remaining Artsakh residents to up to 15 years in prison.