 Global humanitarian leaders call for Ruben Vardanyan’s release September 30, 2023 - 12:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Global humanitarian leaders have released a statement calling for the release by Azerbaijan of philanthropist and former Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan. Vardanyan was arrested when leaving Karabakh with tens of thousands of Armenians, who were forced to flee when Azerbaijan launched a fresh offensive, killing and injuring hundreds of people. The statement from the humanitarian leaders reads: “The recent arrest by the government of Azerbaijan of philanthropist, businessman, Armenian citizen and co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Ruben Vardanyan, is both outrageous and politically motivated. As members of the global humanitarian and human rights community we call for his immediate release. “The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, to which Ruben has given so much, has for the past eight years honored and supported the work of those who fight for basic human rights, often at the risk of their own lives, all around the world. The irony is that Ruben now finds himself a victim of the same persecution as those he has sought to help as a human rights defender. “When Ruben moved to Nagorno-Karabakh over a year ago, prior to the 10-month-long blockade of all food and basic necessities and recent bombings, he did so knowing that there were significant risks, but he was determined to help find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. “Detaining Ruben, a man who has spent the last 20 years dedicated to advancing the socio-economic development of the region, is unjust. This action deprives him of his basic rights much like the tens of thousands of Armenians of the region whose fundamental human rights are violated daily. “Ruben Vardanyan is being held captive because of his support for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and their right to a democratic way of life.The Azerbaijani government must release him and demonstrate their respect for human rights – his and those of allArmenians of the region.” Fartuun Adan 2020 Aurora Prize Laureate; Founder, Elman Peace and Human Rights Center Noubar Afeyan Co-Founder, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative; Founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering; Co-Founder and Chairman, Moderna Jamila Afghani 2022 Aurora Prize Laureate; President, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Afghanistan Oscar Arias Honorary Member, Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Two-Time President of Costa Rica; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Marguerite Barankitse 2016 Aurora Prize Laureate; Founder, Maison Shalom Tom Catena Chair, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative; 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate; Medical Director, Mother of Mercy Hospital Ara Darzi Chair, Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Co-Director, Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London Mirza Dinnayi 2019 Aurora Prize Laureate; Co-Founder and Director, Air Bridge Iraq Shirin Ebadi Honorary Member, Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Founder, Defenders of Human Rights Center; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ilwad Elman 2020 Aurora Prize Laureate; COO, Elman Peace and Human Rights Center Gareth Evans Honorary Member, Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Former Foreign Minister of Australia; President Emeritus, International Crisis Group Leymah Gbowee Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Founder and President, Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Hina Jilani Honorary Member, Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan; Former UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders Dele Olojede Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Founder, Africa in the World Festival; Pulitzer Prize Winner Paul Polman Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Business Leader, Climate and Equalities Campaigner; Former CEO, Unilever John Prendergast Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Human Rights Activist Louise Richardson Aurora Prize Selection Committee; President, Carnegie Corporation of New York Mary Robinson Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Chair, The Elders; Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Former President of Ireland Ernesto Zedillo Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Director, Center for the Study of Globalization at Yale University; Former President of Mexico   Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. 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