Eva Merkacheva, a member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights in the Russian Federation, said that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan could have stood up for Ruben Vardanyan in court. Taking into account his active humanitarian activities in Armenia, the head of state could have taken a more active part in the fate of the social entrepreneur.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs of today, however, the Armenian authorities have made no effort to protect their citizens. Moreover, the statements of the Armenian Prime Minister suggest that for them it is a matter of political competition rather than a decision of people’s fates,\u201d Merkacheva said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Before the trial started, Ruben once again declared his innocence and demanded to stop the case. The human rights activist also emphasized that during almost a year and a half of investigation, according to the philanthropist, he did not give any testimony and did not sign protocols.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe is a civilian, he did not participate in military actions on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and moved to the unrecognized republic already after the end of the conflict’s hot phase in the region,\u201d Merkacheva recalled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n