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A new orchard is being created near the Tatev Monastery. The charity project has been implemented by the territorial development agency “We are Our Mountains,” established by Ruben Vardanyan. The project involves the philanthropist’s partners and associates, as well as numerous volunteers.

“We consider wide-scale participation in this project important, since it is not only about laying out a garden and planting trees, but about each of us showing our support for Ruben Vardanyan, illegally detained in Baku prison, as well as all other our compatriots,” explained Grigori Martirosyan, executive director of the agency.

Details: https://armenpress.am/rus/news/1135160.html

The office of the social entrepreneur’s family reports that Ruben Vardanyan has gone on a hunger strike. He decided to take this desperate step after Baku repeatedly ignored requests to ensure a fair and transparent trial in accordance with international legal norms. He announced the hunger strike back on April 5, but Ruben Vardanyan’s family found out about it only today, as they had been unable to contact him by phone.

“I am deeply concerned about my father’s health and well-being,” said the philanthropist’s eldest son, David Vardanyan. The philanthropist’s relatives have not seen him for almost 200 days. David reminded: in violation of all international norms, the prisoner was deprived of phone communication with his family. “We have had absolutely no contact with him since he has gone on this hunger strike beginning April 5,” David added.

Ruben Vardanyan’s family has made the following demands:

1. Release him and other Armenian political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.

2. If an illegal trial does take place, it must be held before the detention order expires in May. It must comply with international legal standards and allow the attendance of international observers and the media.

3. The Azerbaijani authorities must immediately allow members of the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit Ruben Vardanyan and other political prisoners in order to assess their health status. Telephone communication between Ruben Vardanyan and his family must be resumed.

4. Any peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan must include the release of all Armenian political prisoners.

5. Azerbaijan will not be able to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) without taking all of these measures.

In April, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross paid another visit to social entrepreneur Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners illegally detained by Azerbaijan. The ICRC members met one-on-one with the prisoners and ensured that those being held were able communicate with their families.

Details: https://news.am/rus/news/817838.html

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Germany, Ashot Voskanyan, has shared his opinions regarding Ruben Vardanyan’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. He explained that he was happy to hear the news for two reasons. Firstly, because the philanthropist deserves the most prestigious international award with all he has done, and, secondly, his nomination was another opportunity to remind the world of the Armenian prisoners illegally detained in Baku.

“It is very important to me that we do not forget about people who are suffering in the Azerbaijani prison today,” Voskanyan stressed.

Details: https://ru.aravot.am/2024/04/10/432009/

The authors of the nomination letter cite merits of social entrepreneur such as the development of peaceful initiatives and prevention of a humanitarian catastrophe in Artsakh, where Ruben Vardanyan launched charity projects during the war. The authors also remind that the philanthropist worked to bring people together and fought for human rights: in particular, he established the Aurora Humanitarian Award.

Ruben Vardanyan has been nominated by a group of organizations and individuals, including Nobel Prize winners. Details: https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/661398169a794764676194f0?from=newsfeed

According to Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, Executive Director of the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, Ruben Vardanyan fell victim to the Azerbaijani authorities’ persecution because of his bold and open position on the independence of Artsakh.

“Vardanyan spoke a truth that was harsh for Azerbaijan: the Artsakh people have the right to self-determination, which is commonly accepted and should be recognized by the international community,” von Joeden-Forgey said.

In addition, she brought up the global recognition of Vardanyan’s humanitarian efforts, which only fueled Baku’s anger.

Details: https://news.am/rus/news/816124.html

During a discussion at the American University of Armenia, Siranush Sahakyan, a legal representative of the Armenian prisoners at the European Court of Human Rights, answered the question on whether Ruben Vardanyan could be called a prisoner of war. According to her, Vardanyan is not a military man, but as the minister of state he gave the situation in Artsakh international resonance. Since Azerbaijan perceived the philanthropist’s legitimate activities as anti-Azerbaijani, it is more correct to consider him a political prisoner.

“Azerbaijan described Ruben Vardanyan’s actions, which were exclusively legal, as anti-Azerbaijani, and I believe that he is being persecuted for his views and activities, which makes him a political prisoner,” Siranush Sahakyan said.

Details: https://news.am/rus/news/815096.html

President of Artsakh, Samvel Shahramanyan, has asked the French authorities to put pressure on Azerbaijan to release Armenian political prisoners. In an interview with Le Figaro, he stated that eight former leaders of Artsakh remain imprisoned in Baku, including social entrepreneur and former state minister Ruben Vardanyan, ex-presidents Bako Sahakyan, Arkady Ghukasyan and Arayik Harutyunyan, ex-speaker of parliament David Ishkhanyan, and other officials.

“I demand their immediate and unconditional release, as well as the release of all Armenian prisoners who have been arrested and imprisoned without reason, falling victim to false accusations. I ask France to put pressure on President Aliyev to release them,” Shahramanyan said.

Details: https://newsarmenia.am/news/nagorno_karabakh/prezident-artsakha-poprosil-frantsiyu-okazat-davlenie-na-azerbaydzhan-s-tselyu-osvobozhdeniya-armyan/

Six months ago, the Azerbaijani authorities illegally arrested social entrepreneur Ruben Vardanyan, when he tried to leave Artsakh for Armenia. Since then, voices in support of the philanthropist have been raised throughout the world. Politicians, journalists, public and religious figures from many countries are demanding his release.

Mirza Dinnayi, an Iraqi human rights activist and winner of the Aurora Humanitarian Award, called Vardanyan’s arrest a great blow to all people involved in human rights issues. In his opinion, the UN and other international organizations must concentrate their efforts on ensuring the philanthropist’s release.

Spanish MP Jon Inarritu also spoke in support of Ruben Vardanyan. He stated that Baku should release the social entrepreneur and other Armenian prisoners so that they can reunite with their families. This would be an important and necessary step for achieving reconciliation in the region, the politician added.

Jean-Christophe Buisson, deputy head of the oldest French newspaper Le Figaro, shared a photo with Ruben Vardanyan’s son and wrote that he supported his struggle for his father’s release. Buisson posted a photo with David Vardanyan on his X microblog.

According to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, official Yerevan is continuously working on the release of former Artsakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners. However, this process sometimes seems to be a Sisyphean struggle, he added.

Most recently, the situation regarding Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners was discussed at a major conference of the European Parliament. One of its participants, Armenian Ambassador to Belgium Tigran Balayan, said that by refusing to release the prisoners of war, Azerbaijan violated the trilateral ceasefire statement it had signed.

Hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church declared a mass violation of the legal rights of Artsakh Armenians. The AAC representatives called on the world community to give an adequate response to the events and take measures to free the captives.

It should be added that the Armenian prisoners, including Ruben Vardanyan, were once again visited by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Thanks to the ICRC representatives, the prisoners were able to communicate with their families again.

The Wings of Tatev aerial tramway opens a new season. The world’s longest passenger pendulum cable car was built as part of the Tatev Revival program. It was launched on the initiative of Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend.

“Tatev has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Armenia. One out of every five travelers in the country visits the cable car along their route. As a result, the flow of tourists to the Syunik Region has increased by 17 times as compared to 2010,” stated Maria Butenko, Director of Impulse Business Management, the company which manages the project.

Details: https://lurer.com/?p=564604&l=ru

The US-based Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention urged the international community to convince Baku to immediately release all Armenian prisoners. According to the NGO representatives, they are especially concerned about the condition of social entrepreneur Ruben Vardanyan.

“Former Artsakh state minister, businessman and philanthropist Vardanyan is particularly hated in Azerbaijan due to his outspoken and unyielding support of Artsakh’s right to self-determination,” the institute’s statement reads.

Details: https://news.am/rus/news/814626.html

On Friday, Jean-Christophe Buisson, deputy director of the oldest French newspaper Le Figaro, posted a photo with French writer Sylvain Tesson and David Vardanyan — son of the social entrepreneur Ruben Vardanyan — on his X microblog.

“Sylvain Tesson and I are proud to support his daily struggle for the release of his father, Ruben Vardanyan, and the 22 other Armenian prisoners who are illegally being held in Aliyev’s prison in Azerbaijan,” Buisson wrote.

Details: https://news.am/rus/news/813722.html

The European Parliment held a major conference dedicated to the problem of Armenian prisoners, including social entrepreneur Ruben Vardanyan, in Brussels. The discussion was initiated by Andrey Kovatchev, a member of the EPP Group of the European Parliament and a speaker on Armenia.

According to Tigran Balayan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Kingdom of Belgium, releasing Armenians from captivity remains an unresolved issue and “poisons the atmosphere.”

“The individuals held by the Baku regime are not prisoners, they are captives. Azerbaijan has violated the trilateral ceasefire statement it signed, which clearly states that all prisoners of war must be returned on a reciprocal basis,” the parliamentarian said.

Details: https://armenpress.am/rus/news/1132796.html

Mirza Dinnayi, an Iraqi human rights activist and winner of the Aurora Humanitarian Award, called Ruben Vardanyan’s arrest a great blow to all people working on human rights issues. In his opinion, the UN and other international organizations need to step up their efforts to secure the release of the world-prominent philanthropist.

Dinnayi also reminded that Ruben Vardanyan had moved to Artsakh to help his people, despite the apparent dangers.

“He [Ruben Vardanyan] sacrificed himself to the struggle, which he believed to be righteous,” the human rights activist noted.

Details: https://news.am/rus/news/812838.html

Hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) stated that the authors of the Azerbaijani propaganda film based on forced interviews with former Artsakh leaders have grossly violated international law. The AAC representatives called on the world community to give an adequate response to these events and take measures to free the Armenian prisoners.

“Peace cannot be achieved at the expense of the Armenian people’s dignity or by trampling on the legitimate rights of Artsakh Armenians,” the AAC statement reads.

Details: https://ru.armeniasputnik.am/20240315/aats-prinuditelnye-intervyu-s-glavami-nagornogo-karabakha–gruboe-narushenie-ikh-prav-73435604.html

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Yerevan is consistently working on the return of former Artsakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian prisoners illegally held by Baku. According to him, this process sometimes seems to be a Sisyphean struggle.

“I understand that describing our daily efforts is meaningless as long as there are no results. It is hard to gauge the effectiveness of this work until there is a return process,” Nikol Pashinyan added.

Details: https://dzen.ru/a/ZfA0XdDaakUM98GL

Spanish MP Jon Inarritu stated that Azerbaijan must release social entrepreneur Ruben Vardanyan and other Armenian political prisoners so that they can return to their families.

“The treatment of Azerbaijani political prisoners, dissidents, and journalists under the Aliyev regime is well-documented and characterized by systematic human rights violations and gross disregard for due process. For this reason, all Armenian prisoners illegally detained in Baku must be released and allowed to reunite with their families. Reuniting them with their families is not only a matter of moral duty, but also an important step for reconciliation and healing in the region,” Jon Inarritu said.

Details: https://armenpress.am/rus/news/1132164.html

Former state minister of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan, commented on an interview that an Azerbaijani media outlet had conducted with ex-leaders of the republic, forcibly detained by Baku. According to Beglaryan, Azerbaijan violated international law by forcing the Armenian prisoners to communicate with journalists on camera.

“Using hostages for propaganda and mass humiliation is also a crime,” Artak Beglaryan added.

Details: https://dzen.ru/a/Ze68-eoVMDonMEW_