The Unlawful Detention of Ruben Vardanyan and Armenian Leaders in Baku

WEST ASIA, 10 Nov 2025

Diran Noubar – TRANSCEND Media Service

A Tool of Repression and Political Convenience

9 Nov 2025 – In the shadow of Azerbaijan’s authoritarian grip, the detention of Ruben Vardanyan and over two dozen other Armenian political and military figures in Baku prisons stands as a stark emblem of state-sponsored injustice. Since September 2023, following Azerbaijan’s military offensive that led to the ethnic cleansing of over 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), these individuals have languished in solitary confinement, subjected to sham trials and allegations of torture. Far from legitimate accountability, their imprisonment under President Ilham Aliyev’s regime serves dual purposes: to crush Armenian self-determination and to indirectly bolster the precarious hold on power of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. As Armenia approaches pivotal elections in 2026, Vardanyan’s absence from the political arena—due to his outspoken criticism of Pashinyan’s concessions to Baku—eliminates a formidable electoral threat, raising questions about complicity in this humanitarian crisis.

The Rise of Ruben Vardanyan: From Philanthropist to Defender of Artsakh

Ruben Vardanyan, born in 1968 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, embodies the archetype of a self-made success story turned moral crusader. A Russian-Armenian billionaire, he built a fortune through finance, co-founding Troika Dialog, one of Russia’s largest investment banks, which he sold in 2011. Renouncing his Russian citizenship in 2022 amid geopolitical tensions, Vardanyan redirected his wealth toward philanthropy, establishing initiatives like the Vardanyan Family Foundation and the IDeA Foundation, which funneled hundreds of millions into Armenian education, culture, and economic development.  His commitment to Armenia’s future deepened with a focus on Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed enclave internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory but historically inhabited by an Armenian majority.

Vardanyan’s political awakening came amid escalating tensions in the South Caucasus. The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, which ended in a Russian-brokered ceasefire, left Armenia reeling from territorial losses and exposed the fragility of Artsakh’s de facto independence. As Azerbaijan intensified its blockade of the Lachin Corridor—the vital lifeline connecting Artsakh to Armenia—in December 2022, Vardanyan relocated to Stepanakert, Artsakh’s capital, to coordinate humanitarian aid. He personally funded convoys delivering food, medicine, and fuel to the besieged population, enduring the 10-month stranglehold alongside residents.  In November 2022, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan appointed him State Minister, a role Vardanyan accepted not for power but to amplify global awareness of the humanitarian catastrophe. “I am here to stand with the people of Artsakh,” he declared, broadcasting live from the blockade to document the suffering.

His tenure, though brief (ending in February 2023 under pressure from peace talks), was marked by fierce advocacy. Vardanyan accused Pashinyan of “defeatist” policies that surrendered Armenian interests, arguing that Yerevan’s concessions undermined Artsakh’s right to self-determination.  This stance positioned him as a unifying figure among Artsakh’s diaspora and Armenia’s opposition, blending economic clout with moral authority. By mid-2023, as Azerbaijan prepared its “anti-terrorist operation,” Vardanyan had become a symbol of resistance, his philanthropy evolving into a bulwark against erasure.

The Broader Plight: Armenians Swept into Baku’s Gulag

Vardanyan’s arrest was no isolated incident but part of a systematic roundup targeting Artsakh’s leadership. On September 27, 2023, as Azerbaijani forces launched a lightning assault, over 120,000 Armenians fled Artsakh in a mass exodus, fearing genocide after decades of pogroms like those in Sumgait (1988) and Baku (1990).  Vardanyan, attempting to cross into Armenia via the Lachin Corridor with the refugees, was intercepted by Azerbaijani border guards and transported to Baku.  Azerbaijan’s State Border Service claimed he had “illegally entered” sovereign territory—a charge echoing colonial logic, as Artsakh had been self-governing for 30 years.

He was joined by at least 23 other high-profile detainees, including former Artsakh presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan; National Assembly President Davit Ishkhanyan; Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan; and Foreign Minister David Babayan.  These individuals, captured during or after the offensive, face a litany of fabricated charges: terrorism, genocide, war crimes, and financing separatism, dating back to the 1980s and 1990s.  Trials began in January 2025 in Baku’s military court—closed to international observers, with only state media allowed entry—violating the Geneva Conventions’ prohibition on trying civilians in military tribunals.

Human rights abuses abound. Detainees report torture, including beatings, forced confessions, and denial of medical care. Vardanyan, held in solitary for over 340 days, has endured two hunger strikes (April 2024 and February 2025) to protest the “judicial farce.”  He claims signatures on incriminating documents were forged and that he received no translation of the 422-volume case file in Azerbaijani.  The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the sole external monitor, was expelled from Azerbaijan in March 2025, severing even minimal oversight.  Amnesty International and the European Parliament have decried these as “sham trials” of “hostages,” demanding immediate release.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) initially ruled Vardanyan’s detention non-arbitrary in February 2025, but this opinion was tainted by conflicts of interest involving rapporteur Ganna Yudkivska’s ties to Azerbaijan, prompting calls for revision.   UN High Commissioner Volker Türk, in contrast, urged their unconditional release in March 2025.  These detentions, experts argue, are genocidal tactics: eliminating elites to prevent resurgence, as warned by the Lemkin Institute.

The Aliyev Regime: Corruption and Calculated Cruelty

Ilham Aliyev’s rule, inherited from his father Heydar in 2003, is a byword for kleptocracy. Azerbaijan ranks 154th on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, with oil wealth funneled to a loyal elite while dissenters rot in prisons.  The regime’s suppression of civil society—jailing journalists, activists, and opposition figures—escalated around COP29 in November 2024, but the Armenian detentions represent a brazen escalation. Baku uses them as bargaining chips in peace talks, refusing repatriation unless Armenia amends its constitution to explicitly cede Artsakh.  This mirrors historical pogroms, where anti-Armenian violence served to consolidate power and launder territorial ambitions as “justice.”

Aliyev’s strategy is emboldened by Western hypocrisy: Europe’s energy dependence mutes criticism, while Russia’s Ukraine quagmire limits its mediation role. The result? A humanitarian black hole where over 44 Armenians, including POWs from 2020, face life sentences or worse.  As one analyst notes, “Dictators arrest those they’re afraid of”—and Aliyev fears the moral weight these figures carry in galvanizing Armenian resolve.

How the Detentions Serve Pashinyan’s Electoral Survival

For Pashinyan, once hailed as a Velvet Revolution hero, the detentions are a fortuitous shield. Elected in 2018 on anti-corruption promises, his popularity has cratered to 11% amid economic woes and perceived capitulation to Azerbaijan.  The 2020 war’s defeat haunts him; critics like Vardanyan label his diplomacy “defeatist,” accusing him of trading Artsakh for illusory peace.  Vardanyan’s philanthropy and criticism made him a nascent opposition leader, funding parties like Country of Living, which trounced Pashinyan’s Civil Contract in March 2025 local elections in Parakar (56% vs. failure to form a majority).  In Gyumri, opposition coalitions similarly sidelined his allies, signaling a 2026 bloodbath.

With Vardanyan and peers—fierce Artsakh defenders—in Baku, Pashinyan faces no domestic rivals to rally the diaspora or veterans. Reports suggest Yerevan’s tepid diplomacy stems from this calculus: insiders claim negotiations with Baku include “dealing with threats to national security,” code for sidelining critics.  Pashinyan has dodged direct advocacy for their release, quipping about Vardanyan’s Russian ties when pressed.  Protests in Yerevan since February 2025 demand action, but Pashinyan’s crackdown on opponents—labeling them coup plotters—mirrors Aliyev’s playbook.  As one open letter laments, “He sees them as an inconvenience… and would be content if they all died.”

This unholy alignment—Aliyev’s iron fist enabling Pashinyan’s maneuvering—prolongs the agony. Vardanyan’s voice message from prison in March 2025 rings true: “This trial is not just about me… all Armenians are on trial.”

A Call for Global Reckoning

The detentions in Baku are not footnotes to a resolved conflict but active war crimes, demanding sanctions on Aliyev’s enablers and pressure on Pashinyan to prioritize humanity over votes. As Vardanyan’s trial drags into 2026—potentially culminating in life imprisonment—the world must amplify their stories, lest silence buries Artsakh’s last guardians. Justice delayed is justice denied; for these Armenians, it may soon be justice extinguished.

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Diran Noubar, an Italian-Armenian born in France, has lived in 11 countries until he moved to Armenia. He is a world-renowned, critically-acclaimed documentary filmmaker and war reporter. Starting in the early 2000’s in New York City, Diran produced and directed over 20 full-length documentary films. He is also a singer/songwriter and guitarist in his own band and runs a nonprofit charity organization, wearemenia.org.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 10 Nov 2025.

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