Ruben Vardanyan’s case to be brought before the European Court of Human Rights

YEREVAN — An application is being prepared for submission to the European Court of Human Rights in the case of former Artsakh State Minister and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan, who has been held captive in Azerbaijan for nearly three years and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

International law expert and Armenian Legal Centre Executive Director Siranush Sahakyan told Azatutyun that Vardanyan’s judgment had finally been obtained, a document required to initiate proceedings before the ECHR. She said the application would be submitted to the court in the coming weeks.

Sahakyan stressed that the defence would seek to demonstrate the political nature of the charges brought against Vardanyan.

“The collective right to self-determination has unlawfully been characterized as terrorism, even though no punishment may be imposed for an act that is not defined as an offence by law,” she said.

Baku has yet to provide the judgments in the cases of the other 15 Armenian captives, including members of Artsakh’s former military and political leadership, either to the prisoners themselves or to their court-appointed lawyers, despite the rulings having been issued eight months ago.

Sahakyan believes Azerbaijan is seeking to obstruct the filing of international appeals. In an interim decision, the ECHR ordered Baku to submit the judgments concerning the 15 Armenian citizens to the court by August 31.

In February, a military court in Baku sentenced 16 Armenian captives, including members of Artsakh’s former military and political leadership, to life imprisonment or lengthy prison terms.