Trial of Ruben Vardanyan moves to final stage in Baku

(Horizon Weekly) – According to Azerbaijani media, the court proceedings against Ruben Vardanyan, the former State Minister of Artsakh, have concluded in Baku.

At the latest hearing, the parties indicated that they did not object to bringing the examination phase to an end and proceeding to closing statements.

Vardanyan’s court appointed attorney also filed two motions, both of which were dismissed by the court. Azerbaijani outlets did not disclose the content of these motions.

The next court session is set for December 18.

Although Ruben Vardanyan has never served in a military role, Baku has charged him with multiple fabricated offenses, including planning, preparing, and carrying out a war against Azerbaijan, financing terrorism, and forcibly displacing civilians.

The show trials involving Armenians detained in Baku are being conducted without the presence of independent media or international human rights organizations.

Families of Armenian detainees facing harsh sentences at the Baku Military Court, 23 Armenian prisoners according to official figures, say that the only media outlet covering the proceedings, the state run agency Azertag, selectively reports, edits, and frequently mistranslates statements made by Artsakh’s political and military leadership, which they view as part of a state sponsored spectacle.