Hajiyev calls Vardanyan verdict “symbolic end”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijani President’s Assistant Hikmet Hajiyev said that the Baku court’s verdict against “oligarch Ruben Vardanyan is not only the administration of justice but also the symbolic and logical conclusion of a nearly 30-year conflict that caused great suffering to the Azerbaijani people.”

He described as “extremely immoral” the calls by some members of the European Parliament and organizations such as Amnesty International to release Vardanyan and other Armenian convicts.

“The verdict against Ruben Vardanyan is nothing but a mockery of justice,” said Marie Struthers, Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International.

“By advancing a unique military-political model for conflict resolution and initiating a post-conflict peace agenda, Azerbaijan has also ensured accountability for individuals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including Bako Sahakyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, Ruben Vardanyan and others.

On the eve of another anniversary of Khojaly, the publication of these judicial decisions is a tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of that tragedy and the entire conflict.

We expected the establishment of international courts or tribunals similar to the Nuremberg Trials, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. However, in today’s unjust international environment, even the application of law has become more politicized and subject to double standards. Therefore, Azerbaijan has organized open court proceedings and ensured justice through its own legal system, presenting it as an example to the international community,” the post reads.

Hajiyev also cited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s remarks in an interview with France 24, in which he referred to Armenians as “worse than Nazis” and rejected the possibility of releasing Armenian detainees.

According to Hajiyev, “justifying a person accused of war crimes is regarded as legitimizing those crimes and as comprehensive participation in undermining accountability.”

On February 17, a Baku court announced the verdict in the case against former State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Ruben Vardanyan, sentencing him to 20 years in prison on war crimes charges. His supporters maintain that the case is fabricated and note that he did not participate in military operations and was not present in Nagorno-Karabakh during the 2020 war or the First Nagorno-Karabakh war.