On March 3, the first event of the “UWCD Peace Talks” series took place at UWC Dilijan International School (UWC Dilijan), dedicated to the life, values, and legacy of Armenian entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public figure Ruben Vardanyan. Ruben Vardanyan’s wife, Veronika Zonabend, who is also the co-founder of UWCD, joined the event via video and delivered remarks. Speaking about Vardanyan’s values and goals, Zonabend stated that he believed every person should strive for greater purposes that go beyond personal or financial interests. “Guided by these convictions, he decided to go to Artsakh because he could not remain distant when his people were facing a severe and existential crisis. For him, it was important not only to protect people’s lives but also to preserve their dignity, history, and the heritage of their ancestors,” said Veronika Zonabend, also noting that during her last phone conversation with her husband, Vardanyan expressed gratitude to everyone who supports him, as that support gives him strength and faith to continue the struggle and remain true to his principles.
At the end of 2022, Vardanyan’s appointment as State Minister of Artsakh became a source of hope for many residents of Artsakh. Speaking about Ruben Vardanyan’s activities in Artsakh after the 2020 44-day war, Siranush Sahakyan, director of the International and Comparative Law Center and the Armenian office of the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights, who was the main speaker of the event, emphasized this point. “The residents of Artsakh perceived Vardanyan’s appointment as an opportunity to continue living in their homeland and to defend their right to self-determination, which is recognized by international law and enshrined in the fundamental principles of the United Nations,” said the human rights defender, presenting the legal details of the criminal prosecution against the businessman and the international concerns surrounding it.
Azerbaijan initiated criminal proceedings against Ruben Vardanyan in December 2022, almost immediately after he assumed the position of State Minister. Siranush Sahakyan presented in detail the chain of events beginning in 2022 - from Vardanyan’s appointment as State Minister to his unlawful arrest in September 2023 and the staged trials held in Baku - emphasizing that the charges brought against him, including “financing terrorism,” lack any legal basis, are cynical in nature, and that Azerbaijan is attributing to Ruben Vardanyan the crimes it has itself committed.
Speaking about the legality of the “trials,” Sahakyan stated: “None of the components of a fair trial were respected in Ruben’s case. The court was military and highly dependent on the executive. The Azerbaijani judicial system is a weapon in the hands of the executive to punish political opponents and those who exercise the right to self-determination. International law distinguishes between recognition and the illegality of a regime: the UN has never considered the Artsakh administration illegal, and the charges against Ruben demonstrate that Azerbaijan is taking revenge on the leaders of Artsakh.”
Sahakyan also addressed the absence of international monitoring in Azerbaijan and the restrictions imposed on the activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which make detained Armenian prisoners more vulnerable. Siranush Sahakyan drew particular attention to the fact that since September 2025 Azerbaijan has closed the only international neutral organization operating in the country, the ICRC, leaving Armenian prisoners without independent oversight or humanitarian assistance. A one-time special visit took place in December 2025, but there is no regular monitoring mission. The prisoners’ physical and mental condition, as well as the conditions of their detention, remain without oversight, making them even more vulnerable.
“International organizations and states appealed to Azerbaijan to attend the ‘trials,’ but access was not provided. Only state media outlets were providing one-sided official information, which was part of a propaganda campaign rather than objective coverage. The human rights violations that occurred in the courts of Baku also led to international reactions: Amnesty International described the trials as sham. The European Union and France called for the immediate and unconditional release of Armenian prisoners, including political leaders, and did not recognize the outcomes of the sham trials,” said Sahakyan.
During the discussion, the issue of the release of prisoners was also raised, including its political and diplomatic aspects. Sahakyan emphasized that Azerbaijan uses prisoners as tools for political bargaining, and in this situation international legal pressure through the European Court of Human Rights can render the “trials” illegitimate.
At the end of the event, Siranush Sahakyan answered questions from the participants and students, clarifying that the case of Ruben Vardanyan is not merely a matter of individual responsibility but a manifestation of collective punishment directed against Armenian identity, which requires sustained international attention and legal action.