Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian who is being held hostage in Azerbaijan, says he has “no regrets” about his decision to move to Nagorno Karabakh, where he served in the government until February 2023. Vardanyan was captured when Azerbaijani troops invaded the Christian region in September last year.
Veronika Zonabend delivered a message from her husband Ruben Vardanyan. screenshot of video
Armenian philanthropist and businessman Ruben Vardanyan has sent a defiant message from prison in Baku, where he has spent the past eight months. Vardanyan’s statement comes just weeks after his family persuaded him to abandon a 21-day hunger strike in protest over his unlawful detention.
Veronika Zonabend, Vardanyan’s wife, read out the message in a video broadcast at the 2024 Aurora Prize award ceremony on May 9. Vardanyan is co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, which issues the Aurora Prize. The award – in the name of survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 – recognizes individuals for their humanitarian work.
In his message, Vardanyan said the prize was not just to honor the memory of those who died, but to express gratitude to those who saved Armenian lives. “We wanted to change the Armenian narrative from that of victimhood and the past, to a new perspective: facing the future with hope.”
“With Aurora, we draw international attention to real heroes of today, those who risk their own wellbeing and lives, and who find faith and a path forward in helping others,” Vardanyan wrote.
“Thanks to Aurora, I met people who taught me the most important lesson: remaining true to human values and your own principles, irrespective of the situation, and following your path.”
The philanthropist, who previously held Russian citizenship, said he decided to move to Nagorno Karabakh in 2022 to help the people there in whatever way he could.
“Being here [in prison], totally isolated from the world for nearly eight months, I have a lot of time to reflect,” he wrote. “I have no regrets about taking that path.”
Addressing previous Aurora Prize laureates, he said, “Your commitment to helping others, in this joint mission of ours, gives me strength here.”
Vardanyan began a hunger strike on April 5 after he received no response to his requests for a fair and transparent trial. His trial was originally slated for January, but was then put back to May without explanation.
During his three-week protest, Vardanyan did not receive permission to speak to his family, and concerns grew over his state of health. When his family finally managed to contact him, they told him of the growing international pressure on Azerbaijan to release the Armenian prisoners. Vardanyan then reluctantly agreed to call off his hunger strike, they said.
Vardanyan is one of eight serving and former government officials of the Nagorno Karabakh government that Baku captured following the invasion. Last September, Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno Karabakh after a nine-month siege, killing hundreds and forcing its 120,000 Armenian Christian inhabitants to flee to neighboring Armenia.
Azerbaijan accuses Ruben Vardanyan of “financing terrorism,” creating and participating in illegal armed organizations or groups, and illegal crossing of Azerbaijan’s borders.
Azerbaijan is confirmed to be holding 23 Armenian hostages, but the true figure could be much higher. CSI calls for the immediate release of all the Armenian hostages.
