Ruben Vardanyan refused to answer any questions at Tuesday's court hearing

The sham trial of Armenian businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan continued in Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

According to Azerbaijani media reports, he refused to answer any questions from prosecutors at the court hearing.

Vardanyan, a former Artsakh state minister, launched a hunger strike in protest against his show trial in Baku on February 19.

"I have decided to protest by declaring a hunger strike against the judicial farce being carried out against me," Vardanyan said in a statement via his lawyers.

"What is happening in the courtroom cannot be called a trial – this is a political show, in which my right to a fair hearing is being deliberately disregarded," he added.

Vardanyan showed signs of torture during a court appearance last week, sparking protests outside the Armenian Foreign Ministry, as well as the UN and ICRC offices in Yerevan, demanding the release of all Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan.