Billionaire and former Nagorno-Karabakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan, sentenced in Baku to 20 years in prison, rejected the legal force of the ruling and dropped his appeal. His family explained that this decision stemmed from the fact that, in their view, the trial was a "staged performance" rather than a proper trial: the hearings were held behind closed doors, without access to independent observers, and the prosecution's motions were ignored. The full text of the verdict was also not released.
A statement from his relatives stated that Vardanyan deliberately refuses to participate in the "imitation of a legal process," considering the verdict part of a "politically motivated and unlawful prosecution" and a "denial of justice." The family emphasizes that the drop in appeal is not the end of the fight, but rather an unwillingness to participate in a "farce." Vardanyan's family intends to seek justice through international legal mechanisms.
On February 17, Vardanyan was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of waging war against Azerbaijan, financing terrorism, and deporting the population. Previously, other former Karabakh leaders were sentenced to terms ranging from 20 years to life in prison.
