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Azerbaijan reveals trial date for Armenian war criminal Ruben Vardanyan

06 January 2025 18:13 (UTC +04:00)

The date for the trial of the Armenian war criminal Ruben Vardanyan has been announced, APA reports.

The preparatory hearing for the criminal case has been scheduled for January 17.

The criminal case will be reviewed at the Baku Military Court under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Agayev.

Note that according to a joint statement by the State Security Service and the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan, an investigation has been conducted by the Main Investigation Department of the State Security Service regarding facts of terrorism, financing of terrorism, crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, and numerous other offenses committed against the Republic of Azerbaijan and its people.

Ruben Karlenovich Vardanyan, formerly a citizen of the Russian Federation and now a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, who served as the founder and head of "Troyka Dialog" in Russia, a member of the board of directors of "KAMAZ" OJSC, an independent director of the "Volga-Dnepr" group of companies, among other positions, was declared wanted on September 25, 2023, as a suspect under Articles 214-1, 279.3, and 318.1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He was detained on September 27, 2023, handed over to the investigation, and charged on the same date.

Based on the collected reliable evidence, the accused Ruben Vardanyan participated in the creation and organization of the activities of the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" and illegal armed formations established in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan occupied by the Republic of Armenia, and was charged with Articles 100 (planning and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation or forced transfer of the population), 109 (persecution), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114 (mercenary), 115 (violation of the laws and customs of war), 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during an armed conflict), 214 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing terrorism), 218 (creation of a criminal association (organization)), 228 (illegal possession of weapons, their components) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. A final indictment has been announced for the acts stipulated in Articles 270-1 (acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation and carrying of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and devices), 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279 (creation of armed formations and groups not provided for by law), 318 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan) and other articles.

During the investigation, the defendant's right to defense, use of a language they understand, and other procedural rights were ensured. The defendant was provided with lawyers of their choice, and petitions submitted by them and their lawyers were reviewed in accordance with the requirements of criminal procedural legislation, with appropriate decisions made.

The completion of the preliminary investigation was communicated to the defendant, Ruben Vardanyan, and other participants in the criminal process. They were given access to all materials of the case, including physical evidence, documents, expert opinions, and other evidence.

The indictment in the criminal case was approved by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan on December 28, 2024, and submitted to the Baku Military Court for consideration.