– David and Ruben Vardanyan
After the attack, Ruben Vardanyan leaves the area while thousands upon thousands of other Armenians flee to Armenia, but when he arrives at the first Azerbaijani checkpoint he is arrested. “We learned about the news from the media,” David, the eldest of Vardanyan’s four children, tells Corriere. Ruben is then transferred to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and from there taken to prison. “Nobody has been able to see him since then.” The family hires a local lawyer because it is not possible for Armenian lawyers to work in Azerbaijan. “We have very little news, we don’t even know how my father is and we have never been able to speak to him except briefly. “He is 55 years old, we are worried about his health.”
Vardanyan is accused of “financing terrorism,” “creating illegal armed groups” and “illegal border crossing,” but two months after his arrest he has yet to appear before the judge. He faces up to 14 years in prison. His story and profile are complex. Vardanyan is a wealthy businessman, CEO of an investment bank in Russia, Troika Dialog, and is the focus of numerous journalistic investigations into alleged money laundering activities. He was Minister of State of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and renounced his Russian citizenship in 2022. Nevertheless, he was removed from office in February 2023 because he was considered too close to Moscow and not in the good graces of the Armenian prime minister.
– Ruben Vardanyan during his arrest in Armenia
Seven other political leaders considered separatists were arrested with him, including the former president, the speaker of the Artsakh parliament, the former foreign minister and a general. According to the information available to the Vardanyans, a total of 7 political prisoners, including Ruben, are in the hands of the Azerbaijanis, while there are 53 prisoners of war. “We know that the International Red Cross (responsible for the safety of prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention, editor’s note) is visiting them in prison or has already visited them. But nothing more,” David continues. However, no contact has been made with the family regarding financial inquiries regarding detention or release conditions. “My father is a man of integrity, a philanthropist (he is the founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative). His mission is to build bridges. “He’s brave and stubborn,” explains David. And it is precisely through his philanthropic activities that this man has won the support of actors such as George Clooney, athletes and Nobel Prize winners. «We have received the support of many influential people. Among them was Inter footballer Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who called for my father’s release in a tweet. We hope it helps, we ask you to keep your attention high and be able to hug our father again.”