Application Filed at European Court for Imprisoned Armenian Official
Application lodged with European Court of Human Rights in Ruben Vardanyan case
An application has been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian national imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Vardanyan's lawyer, Siranush Sahakyan, filed the petition on July 19, 2026, citing violations of eight articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Vardanyan, the former State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Baku Military Court in February 2026 on 41 counts under 21 articles of Azerbaijan's Criminal Code. His legal team contests the conviction, arguing the court failed to establish individual criminal responsibility and instead characterized the Artsakh administration as a "criminal community." Vardanyan declined to appeal domestically, citing concerns about trial fairness, and opted instead to pursue international legal remedies through the Strasbourg court.