Henrikh Mkhitaryan joins demands for Ruben Vardanyan's release

Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has joined the demands for Azerbaijan's release of Ruben Vardanyan, a prominent Armenian businessman and philanthropist who briefly served as Artsakh's (Nagorno-Karabakh) state minister.

Vardanyan was abducted and arrested by Azerbaijani border guards as he attempted to leave Artsakh for Armenia on Wednesday. Azerbaijan’s State Security Service announced on Thursday that he had been charged with "financing terrorism, participating in the creation and operation of illegal armed groups and illegally crossing Azerbaijan's state border".

"I join my fellow Armenians in demanding the safe release of Ruben Vardanyan and all other Armenians detained in Azerbaijan. As tens of thousands of families are fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh for safe refuge to Armenia, detention is becoming an alarming trend," Mkhitaryan said in a statement.

"Ruben Vardanyan stands out as an outspoken advocate for peace not only in our region but in the world. He is a world known philanthropist, businessman and co-founder of the Aurora Prize humanitarian initiative which advocates for peacebuilding and provides people around the world with education and healthcare," he added.