Former Nagorno-Karabakh separatist leader Ruben Vardanyan was sentenced to 20 years in prison for terrorism and war crimes in Azerbaijan. The process was accompanied by accusations of political motivation and lack of transparency.
Armenian oligarch and former Nagorno-Karabakh separatist leader Ruben Vardanyan was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a military court in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday. This was reported by the state media of Azerbaijan. Vardanyan, who served as Nagorno-Karabakh state secretary from September 2022 to February 2023, was arrested in September 2023 at a border crossing while trying to flee the region after it was occupied by Azerbaijani forces.
- Ruben Vardanjan was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Azerbaijan.
- The court described his process as politically motivated and unclear.
- Five leaders of the former Republic of Arcach received life sentences.
- Nagorno-Karabakh has been controlled by Azerbaijan after recent offensives.
- The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has a long history.
Vardanjan was tried along with fifteen other defendants facing serious charges including terrorism, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The prosecutor’s office initially requested a life sentence for Vardanjan, but the court ultimately decided on a 20-year prison sentence. Vardanjan maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and his lawyer, Jared Genser, called the trial “politically motivated” and “opaque.”
Other judgments in Karabakh
Just days before Vardanyan’s conviction, on February 6, a military court in Baku handed down life sentences to five high-ranking officials of the dissolved Republic of Arcach, which was declared on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Former President Arajik Harutjunyan, Defense Minister Levon Mnacakanyan, Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan, Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces David Manukyan and Foreign Minister David Babayan were among those convicted. All were found guilty of war crimes.
Nagorno-Karabakh, which was historically inhabited mainly by Armenians, was legally part of Azerbaijan. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the region was controlled by Armenian separatists, who declared the Republic of Arcach there. It was dependent on the support of Armenia and the presence of Russian peacekeeping forces.
Territory under the control of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan gained control of Nagorno-Karabakh after two military offensives in 2020 and 2023. After the last offensive in 2023, almost all ethnic Armenians, approximately 100,000 people, left the region. This ended the decades-long control of Armenian separatists over the territory.
These developments are part of a wider conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which has deep historical roots and has repeatedly escalated despite international efforts for a peaceful solution.
