Who is Armenian billionaire Ruben Vardanyan, why is he in an Azerbaijani prison, and why did he start a hunger strike?
Armenian billionaire in Azerbaijani prison
Prominent entrepreneur and renowned philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan has declared a hunger strike in a Baku prison. His family reports that he commenced the strike on April 5th, following numerous requests for ‘a timely, fair, and transparent judicial process in accordance with international legal standards.’ According to a statement from Vardanyan’s relatives, ‘the court hearing, originally scheduled for January, was unjustifiably postponed until May.’
Everything known at the time of publication.
- “NK Armenians have the right to self-determination” – Ruben Vardanyan in an interview with BBC
- Azerbaijani court arrests Ruben Vardanyan
- “We are all soldiers in defense of the motherland” – a businessman who became a state minister
- “Vardanyan was not fired at Aliyev’s request”: opinion from Yerevan
“I am seriously concerned about my father’s health”
The statement, released by Vardanyan’s family and his press office on April 19, reads:
“Since his hunger strike began, his family’s phone calls with him have been cut off, in clear violation of all international norms.
“I am deeply concerned about the health and well-being of my father,” said David Vardanyan, one of Mr. Vardanyan’s sons. “For nearly 200 days, my family has not seen my father. We have had absolutely no contact with him since he launched his hunger strike on April 5th.”
However, on April 21, there was a message that the Azerbaijani authorities allowed Ruben Vardanyan to contact his family.
“This happened after Ruben Vardanyan appealed to the international community with an urgent appeal and announced the start of the hunger strike,” confirmed his family regarding the resumption of communication”.
Family’s demands
The statement released by Ruben Vardanyan’s press office:
Last September, armed forces of the government of Azerbaijan invaded the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, triggering the exodus of the 120,000 inhabitants of the region. During the plight of the refugess, Vardanyan and 7 other former officials were arrested and now face spurious politically motivated charges. They are all political prisoners.
Vardanyan’s hunger strike tragically coincides with the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide which will occur on April 24th demonstrating how Armenians continue to be targets of ethnic cleansing and are still targeted for persecution around the world.
Ruben Vardanyan is a loving husband and a father of four. He is also an influential Armenian business leader, social entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Together with his partners from around the world, he has driven more than $1.5 billion toward advancing economic development, addressing humanitarian challenges, and supporting global education initiatives.
A former State Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from November 2022-February 2023, Mr. Vardanyan has been charged with false accusations, held in conditions against international law, and faces a trial that will not be up to international standards, especially regarding access of international observers to the proceedings.
In addition, Mr. Vardanyan’s case has been separated from the other seven political prisoners, raising questions about whether he in particular is being politically targeted.
“The illegal detention of Ruben and the other former leaders of Artsakh is an egregious abuse of human rights and the international justice system and must be ended,” said Paul Polman, Selection Committee member of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative co-founded by Ruben Vardanyan.
“The irony of this entire situation is that Azerbaijan has been selected to host COP 29 in a blatant attempt to “greenwash” their international reputation. COP has a major focus on the interconnectivity of climate change and human rights at a time when they are abusing both in plain sight”
Mr. Vardanyan’s family demands that:
- All illegally detained ethnic Armenian prisoners, including Ruben Vardanyan should be released immediately and unconditionally.
- Should the illegal trials proceed, they must happen before the prisoners’ detention orders expire in May, must meet global legal standards, and international observers and media must be allowed to attend.
- The Azeri government must allow immediate access of the International Red Cross to assess the wellbeing of Ruben and the other prisoners. The family’s access to telephone calls with Mr. Vardanyan must be restored.
- Any peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan must include the release of all ethnic Armenian prisoners.
- COP 29 should not proceed in Azerbaijan without these steps occurring.
Who is Ruben Vardanyan? Why did he end up in an Azerbaijani prison?
Ruben Vardanyan is one of the richest people in the world, a prominent entrepreneur listed in the Forbes billionaires ranking. He is the founder of the investment company “Troika Dialog.” He first appeared in the Russian Forbes list in 2007, and in 2021, his fortune was estimated at one billion dollars. In 2021, he was still referred to as a Russian billionaire.
However, starting in 2022, after renouncing his Russian citizenship and obtaining Armenian citizenship, Forbes began to represent him as the sole billionaire from Armenia in its global rankings.
In the same year, 2022, Vardanyan moved to Nagorno-Karabakh, at that time an unrecognized territory. He stated his intention to use his resources and connections to address the region’s issues. The 44-day war in 2020 became the “red line” that led to this decision.
“Crossing this ‘red line,’ I realized that I could face serious problems both in Russia and Armenia. I understood that I would be subjected to various attacks. I am prepared for this because today we are facing a crisis, and I must take responsibility and participate in discussions for the sake of saving the homeland,” he emphasized.
The decision by Vardanyan to renounce his Russian citizenship and move to Nagorno-Karabakh did not receive much enthusiasm in Armenia. Political analysts speculated that this decision was made “not by himself” but under the Kremlin’s dictate.
“In Armenian expert circles, there is talk that Russia has apparently decided to bring Ruben Vardanyan to power in Armenia. Moscow’s calculation is based on the authority of a person who has implemented multi-million-dollar charitable projects in Armenia. And they begin to implement their plan from Karabakh.”
On November 4, 2022, Vardanyan assumed the position of State Minister of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. He held this position until February 23, 2023. During the three and a half months he served, Vardanyan attracted attention from the Azerbaijani authorities and press. This was due to his prominent status and global recognition, which drew attention to the self-determination issue of Nagorno-Karabakh in the world media. He remained there for all ten months of the region’s blockade by Azerbaijan.
After Azerbaijan’s military operation in September 2023, when the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic declared the cessation of its existence, Baku opened the border connecting with Armenia. Almost all of the Armenian population left their homeland. Azerbaijan did not hinder the departure of people but detained former presidents, the speaker of the parliament, high-ranking military officials, and former state minister Ruben Vardanyan upon crossing the border.
Baku has charged him with financing terrorism, creating illegal armed groups, and illegally crossing the Azerbaijani border. “Ruben Vardanyan’s activities, which were entirely legal, were perceived by Azerbaijan as anti-Azerbaijani. I think he is being persecuted for his views and activities, which makes him a political prisoner,” said human rights defender Siranush Sahakyan, representing the interests of Armenian prisoners of war in the ECHR.
As of the time of publication, there is no information available about the health condition of Ruben Vardanyan, who started a hunger strike.
As for his financial status, it decreased by $100 million over the year. In the latest Forbes ranking, he occupied the 2545th place with a net worth of $1.1 billion. In 2023, Vardanyan ranked 2259th with a net worth of $1.2 billion.
One of Ruben Vardanyan’s most well-known philanthropic projects is the international humanitarian award “Aurora.” Since 2016, it has been awarded annually to an individual who, through their actions and courage, has saved lives or supported those in need. The recipient receives one million dollars and is given the opportunity to continue the charitable mission by donating part of the amount to organizations assisting people in need.
Another highly regarded project of Vardanyan is the international school for talented children in the Armenian city of Dilijan, which attracts students from all over the world. It is one of the 18 colleges of the United World Colleges (UWC) educational movement.
Thanks to Vardanyan’s funding, Armenia is also home to the world’s longest reversible aerial tramway, “Wings of Tatev.”
