Ruben Vardanyan not allowed to address Azerbaijan's ombudsperson, family says

On 13 March, during a phone call with his family, Armenian businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan attempted to deliver a public address to Azerbaijani Ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva. The call was forcibly terminated, his family said in a statement on Monday.

“This address was an act of last resort: over the preceding ten days, Ruben had repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempted to reach her through his lawyer, written requests, and phone calls.

The trials took place a month ago. To date, neither Ruben nor the other Armenian prisoners have received the official texts of their verdicts – neither in Russian, nor in Armenian, nor in Azerbaijani. They do not know under which charges they were convicted, or when and where they will be transferred.

We are deeply concerned by the current situation. The absence of reliable information about his condition and the condition of other Armenian prisoners, combined with the dismantling of independent human rights mechanisms in Azerbaijan – including the departure of the International Committee of the Red Cross — leaves all prisoners without any institutional protection.

We also fear that even brief phone calls – the only remaining means of contact – may be cut off entirely.

We are publishing the audio recording of Ruben's address to Azerbaijan's Ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva – an address he was not permitted to complete.

We hope that this appeal will reach its intended recipient,” reads the statement.