The Armenian Cause Central Council has issued a special report in English, entitled “Justice” According to Azerbaijan, on the trial of Ruben Vardanyan, the former State Minister of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
Vardanyan was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the February 17 verdict of the Baku Military Court in Azerbaijan.
The main conclusions of the report are as follows:
• The court imposed 14 years for a crime for which Vardanyan was never charged. This article is not included in either the indictment or the guilty plea.
• Vardanyan’s name is not found in any of the more than 2,000 forensic reports cited in the verdict, and no witness describes any of his actions.
• The civilian was tried by a military court. An international lawyer was denied access, and no independent international observer was allowed to attend any of the nearly 60 hearings.
Also, the Armenian Cause Central Council called for the immediate and unconditional release of Ruben Vardanyan and all 20 Armenian hostages held in Azerbaijan.
The aforesaid English report is accessible here.