The trial of Ruben Vardanyan, the former de facto prime minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, who faces charges of terrorism, crimes against humanity and crimes against the state of Azerbaijan, is set to begin on January 17 in Baku, writes Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in English.
Vardanyan, a former banker who made his fortune in Russia, denies all charges and, in a statement released by his family on Telegram, complained that he had not had enough time to prepare for his defense.
"I reiterate my complete innocence and the innocence of my compatriots and demand the immediate suspension of this politicized case against us," he said in a statement issued ahead of the trial.
The prosecution stated that Vardanjan had full access to the case materials and that he was provided with the rights to legal defense, the use of the language of his choice, and other procedural rights during the investigation.
Vardanyan disputed this, saying in a statement that he was informed that he faced 42 charges, including some that carry life sentences, but that he was not given the opportunity to fully review the official indictment.
He said that on December 9, he and his lawyer were presented with 422 volumes of the criminal case against him in Azerbaijani, a language he does not speak.
He appealed for public support to meet a number of demands, including more time to study the indictment, an open trial, and the joining of his case with that of 15 other defendants.
Vardanyan also said that despite being detained for more than 470 days, including 340 days in solitary confinement and 23 days in a punishment cell, he held no "malice or hatred" and wanted "true peace" between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
According to prosecutors, the charges against him include torture, arms trafficking, forcible deportation of people, taking power by force, and planning and waging an aggressive war.
Vardanyan, who was born in Yerevan, moved to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022, where he served as a de facto state minister, the equivalent of prime minister, from late 2022 to February 2023. His Russian citizenship was revoked in December 2022.
He is the former CEO and shareholder of investment bank Troika Dialog, which was acquired by Sberbank in 2011. Forbes estimated his fortune at $2021 billion in XNUMX.
In September 2023, Azerbaijan retook Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh among Armenians, ending three decades of de facto independence since it broke away from Baku's control in the war that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Vardanyan was arrested when he fled as part of a mass exodus of about 100.000 Armenians from the mountainous region.
The other 15 people who were indicted, including several former politicians in Nagorno-Karabakh, such as Arayik (Ara) Harutyunyan, who served as the de facto president of the region, are also facing trial.
The charges against them include genocide and war crimes, according to Azerbaijani prosecutors.
Bonus video:
