Azerbaijani court extends Ruben Vardanyan's detention

A Baku court on Thursday extended by five months the pre-trial detention of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.

Vardanyan, a prominent Russian-Armenian businessman and philanthropist, was illegally arrested by Azerbaijani border guards as he attempted to leave Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) for Armenia through the Lachin corridor on 27 September 2023.

He has been charged with financing terrorism, illegally entering Karabakh and supplying its armed forces with military equipment.

Azerbaijani authorities have also illegally arrested and charged Artsakh’s three former presidents, Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arkady Ghukasyan, presidential advisor David Babayan, parliament speaker David Ishkhanyan, as well as a former Artsakh army commander and his deputy.

All of them had their jail terms extended for five months in the past two days.