Ex-ombudsperson urges UN to annul opinion on Ruben Vardanyan case

Former Human Rights Defender Larisa Alaverdyan has called on the United Nations to annul a controversial opinion regarding the detention of Armenian businessman philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan, accusing the decision of being biased.

Speaking outside the UN office in Yerevan on Tuesday, Alaverdyan criticized the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) for its February 2025 opinion, which found that Vardanyan’s arrest by Azerbaijan was not arbitrary. She cited a recent expert opinion by Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, who highlighted potential conflicts of interest. The WGAD’s current chair, Ganna Yudkivska, is a partner at Equity Law Firm, which represents Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR in Ukraine.

Alaverdyan accused both the UN and the Armenian authorities of failing to serve the Armenian people, claiming the decision serves Turkish-Azerbaijani interests and “contains blood". She demanded the decision be overturned and a new independent group be established to re-examine the case.

“International law has been turned into a tool for corrupt interests. Our demand is clear: cancel this decision secured by Azerbaijan and set up a group that will provide a fair opinion,” she said.

Alaverdyan expressed gratitude to Ocampo for seeking to uphold the integrity of international law.