New Information from Ruben Vardanyan
The family of the illegally detained philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan reported that
that thanks to a growing international response, today he was allowed to speak as a woman
With Veronika Zonabend. this is kept under conditions of complete isolation for three weeks,
Ruben Vardanyan, who has been on hunger strike since April 5, had a second telephone conversation with his family…
“The family finally had the opportunity to ask Ruben Vardanyan to stop the hunger strike, taking into account his worsening health condition. In a short conversation, the family informed him about the growing pressure of different officials from all over the world on Azerbaijan. After learning about the global movement to free Armenian prisoners and ignoring the family’s requests, Ruben Vardanyan reluctantly agreed to end the hunger strike.
Ruben Vardanyan continues to remain in captivity in Baku and the conditions of his detention continue to deteriorate.
After starting a hunger strike, he was denied the opportunity to have a regular phone call with his family. Thus, Azerbaijan has added another violation to its list of violations of international norms. During that time, Vardanyan was kept in complete isolation, without appropriate health care, except that he measured his blood pressure from time to time. Concerns regarding the real state of his health continue to exist,” Ruben Vardanyan’s family said in a statement.
“We are seriously concerned about the worsening state of my father’s health, although we are not at all surprised by his bravery. Unfortunately, the conditions of his detention are only getting worse. The world has shown Azerbaijan that it is following the fate of Armenian prisoners, including my father, and on behalf of our family, I would like to thank everyone for supporting us during this difficult time. I hope that this increased international attention will lead to his and other Armenian prisoners’ release in the near future. We urge the international community to continue to increase the pressure on Azerbaijan to ensure at least that the court hearing with the participation of international observers takes place in May,” said Davit Vardanyan, the eldest son of Ruben Vardanyan.