The Baku Military Court has announced the final verdict against Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan, who was accused of committing several grave crimes on the territory of Azerbaijan.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Ruben Vardanyan was found guilty under various articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, and financing of terrorism. According to the court's decision, R.Vardanyan has been sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment.
The public trial was held at the Baku Military Court under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Agayev, with judges Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev. The accused was provided with an interpreter and a state-funded defense lawyer throughout the proceedings. The session was attended by the defendant, his legal counsel, victims and their representatives, prosecutors, and Rufat Mammadov, Head of the Office of the Cabinet of Ministers, representing the state of Azerbaijan as a victim. It should be noted that during the trial, the state prosecutor had initially requested a life sentence for R.Vardanyan.
Ruben Vardanyan, a billionaire who illegally entered Azerbaijan's Garabagh region in 2022, previously held a leadership position in the now-defunct separatist regime in Khankendi. He was detained by the State Border Service in September 2023 at the Lachin border checkpoint while attempting to flee to Armenia. His conviction follows Azerbaijan's restoration of full sovereignty over its internationally recognized territories, including the Garabagh region, following the 2020 44-day war and subsequent local anti-terror measures in 2023.
