Ruben Vardanyan sentenced to 20 years in prison
A Baku court has sentenced the former State Minister of Artsakh, Ruben Vardanyan, to 20 years in prison. This was reported by Azerbaijani media. Vardanyan’s case was examined in separate proceedings.
According to the publications, the court found him guilty of “crimes against peace and humanity,” “war crimes,” as well as “terrorism,” “financing of terrorism,” deportation of people, and other acts stipulated by several severe articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. On December 18, 2025, the prosecutor had requested life imprisonment for Vardanyan.
During the trial, Vardanyan stated that he did not consider the proceedings to be a fair trial and characterized it as a “farce,” forbidding his lawyer from presenting defense arguments. It is also noted that no independent lawyers, human rights defenders, or representatives of international media participated in the trial, which lasted about a year.
The trial of the former military and political leaders of Artsakh had concluded earlier. By the court’s verdict, former President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan, former Commander of the Defense Army Levon Mnatsakanyan, and former Deputy Commander Davit Manukyan were sentenced to life imprisonment. Former Presidents of Artsakh Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Sentences ranging from 15 to 19 years of imprisonment were imposed on the other defendants.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev recently stated that the possible release of these individuals is excluded, comparing the acts attributed to them with the crimes of Nazi leaders convicted by the Nuremberg trials after World War II.
