Israel bombed a hospital.
Rescue workers and reporters rushed to recover the dead and the wounded.
Israel bombed the hospital again. Live on TV.
Read that again.
Our government’s legacy will be its complicity in crimes against humanity. End all arms sales to Israel, now.
I feel like people who don't follow the region closely don't grasp just how insane Azerbaijan under the Aliyev regime is. This kind of stuff happens on the daily multiple times. Just yesterday, the Azerbaijani army opened fire on an Armenian village.
Dictator Erdogan supports terrorism
Dictator Erdogan funds terrorists
Dictator Erdogan weaponizes ISIS
Dictator Erdogan harbors criminals
Dictator Erdogan is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people in the Middle East.
🚨The world will understand soon!
January 17, criminal trials will start in Baku. Azerbaijan's bogus charges are a cover-up of the crimes committed against the Nagorno-Karabakh people, including the prisoners #FreeArmenianHostages
Statement by Ruben Vardanyan, Armenian Political Prisoner Illegally Incarcerated in Azerbaijan (conveyed to his family during his weekly phone call)
January 16, 2025
I would like to address the global community, to those who care about what is happening in our region, those opposed to religious persecution worldwide and those who wish for a lasting and genuine peace.
I, Ruben Vardanyan, have been detained at the Detention Center of the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan since September 27, 2023 – more than 470 days in total, including 340 days in solitary confinement and 23 days in a punishment cell. I would like to make an official statement before the start of the trial. If you are reading these words, it means that I have exhausted all other means to convey the truth about what is happening here.
A court hearing of my case is scheduled for January 17 at 3:00 PM. I have been informed that I am facing 42 charges, some of which carry sentences up to life imprisonment. However, I have not been granted the opportunity to fully review the official indictment. My lawyer and I were merely allowed to skim through 422 volumes of the case files, all written solely in theAzerbaijani language, which I do not understand, within a very short timeframe – from December 9, 2024, to January 8, 2025. I only received the list of charges in Russian on January 8, 2025.
Moreover, pressure has been exerted on me, my lawyer, and my interpreter to force us to backdate and sign documents, including falsified protocols and records of interrogations that never took place.
I officially declare: I have given no testimony since the day of my arrest, except during the first interrogation, where I only stated my name and surname. Let me reiterate: all protocols bearing my signature are falsifications. These documents do not exist in reality. My lawyer and interpreter were coerced into signing these documents.
I once again reiterate and state my complete innocence and the innocence of my Armenian compatriots also being held as political prisoners and demand an immediate end to this politically motivated case against us.
Despite our innocence and the political motivation of this trial, it is most likely that the prosecutor will ignore my plea and pursue a trial against us, in which case I demand and ask for your support in ensuring that I am afforded the following:
1. Allow me and my lawyer adequate time and opportunity to prepare for my defense. In particular, provide us with the opportunity to thoroughly review the case materials in a language I understand.
2. Eliminate all procedural violations and falsifications. Specifically, deem inadmissible all falsified documents and records of interrogations that never took place, as I have not provided any testimony since the day of my arrest.
3. Make my trial, and those of the Armenian political prisoners, public. I insist on the most open trial possible, with the participation of international journalists and representatives of humanitarian organizations.
4. Consolidate my case with the cases of the others accused. More than 400 of the 422 volumes in my case concern episodes from the general case of which only 6 are specifically related to false accusations against me. Separating my case into a separate proceeding is an artificial and unfounded decision.
I bear no anger or hatred. On the contrary, I genuinely empathize with all those who violate laws, moral principles, and the teachings of the Quran and other holy texts.
I am convinced that true peace will only be possible when the leaders of the countries involved in the conflict, with the support of their societies, can come together to lay flowers on the graves of all those who perished in this war.
I promise to do everything possible to ensure this happens during my lifetime. As the great Mahatma Gandhi said, the only way to save the world from self-destruction is to live by the principles of nonviolence, truth, and love. Through compassion for all people, regardless of their skin color, nationality, or religion, we can achieve true peace.
Thank you all for your support! I love and thank you all for your kindness toward me. Know that I am standing strong and believe that the truth will prevail.
Ruben Vardanyan
For those keeping score:
Our US Ambassador Mark Libby has visited ethnically cleansed Shushi in Artsakh - normalizing oil-rich Azerbaijan's eradication of the city's indigenous Armenians - but has not visited the Armenian hostages being illegally held in Baku. #COP29
Hi @Lakers are you excite for watch baner go in roof? you guys are the fake team actors Lebrun son also injure guy Davis . You are finish in this nba . We are perform all over league again. You watch on the tv .. thank you is janos.
One year ago today, Azerbaijan launched its final assault against Nagorno-Karabakh. Over 100,000 Karabakh Armenians, having been blockaded and starved for nine months, were driven out of their homes. The criminal regime of Ilham Aliyev committed mass ethnic cleansing in Artsakh.
The United States can and must stand against Azerbaijan's unprovoked aggression.
That means cutting off aid and sanctioning Azeri officials responsible for these abuses.
We must support Armenia, our democratic partner — its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Two years ago, Azerbaijani forces launched deadly, unprovoked attacks on the Armenian people – shelling homes in the villages of Karmir Shuka and Taghavard in Artsakh.
They then attacked Armenia’s sovereign territory, including the Gegharkunik, Syunik and Vayots Dzor provinces.