Elena Khachvankyan

Imagine pretentious stuff about myself here. If you care- donate

[Tom Catena @CatenaTom]

I have known @RubenVardanyan_ for years. The charges brought up against him are completely false and absurd. The international community must act now to secure his release and of all Armenian POWs unjustly held in Azerbaijan. #FreeRubenVardanyan #HumanRights #FreeArmenianPOWs

[Elena Khachvankyan @khachvankyan]

Priceless and cherished. May God grant you strength, and we, with hearts full of love, witness you returning home

[Ruben Vardanyan @RubenVardanyan_]

From his prison cell, Ruben Vardanyan’s call for true and lasting peace

Despite more than 500 days of illegal imprisonment, Ruben Vardanyan's voice remains unbroken as he advocates for a peace grounded in fundamental human values, based on dignity, creating a foundation for genuine coexistence in the South Caucasus. Vardanyan sent an audio message from the Baku isolation ward through his family, requesting that the phone conversation be recorded and made public. He calls for a “real, stable, long-term peace – not just on a paper, but one that is sustainable and is adhered to by all people”.

The full audio version of the message is available here https://t.co/v4Kw84IGTc

[Noubar Afeyan @NoubarAfeyan]

The pain and injustice inflicted on my long time friend and partner, Ruben Vardanyan, by the Azeri regime is unbearable to witness. It is time for all Armenians to raise their voice, especially the leadership of the Armenian Republic. If not us…who? If not now…when? @NikolPashinyan

[Elena Khachvankyan @khachvankyan]

Ruben Vardanyan's life is at risk. After a week on hunger strike, his health has seriously deteriorated, yet Azerbaijan refuses to postpone his sham trial, International action is needed now. #StandWithRuben https://t.co/fedGaWPtR4

[Elena Khachvankyan @khachvankyan]

@RubenVardanyan_ Azerbaijan's repeated human rights violations undermine its credibility as a reliable partner for the West. Accountability must come first. #HumanRights #FreeRuben

[Ruben Vardanyan @RubenVardanyan_]

The family of Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian political prisoner, has conveyed his message to the international community after a brief phone call, in protest against the staged "judicial" process against him

February 19, 2025

“Yesterday, I have decided to protest by declaring a hunger strike against the judicial farce being carried out against me. This is my response to the blatant violations of Azerbaijani procedural law and international law. What is happening in the courtroom cannot be called a trial – this is a political show, in which my right to a fair hearing is being deliberately disregarded.

For the past month, my local lawyer – Avraam Berman and I have tried to make it clear to the court that it is critical for me that this so-called “trial” be objective rather than a staged performance.  Sadly, it has been clear from the beginning that this case is all about persecuting me as an Armenian simply for exercising my rights to freedom of opinion and expression and political participation under international law,, which have been aimed at protecting the rights of the Armenian-Christian population of Artsakh.

Despite Azerbaijan being a State Party to the European Convention on Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, this process has also been replete with egregious due process abuses:

1. I am being tried in an illegal military tribunal and not a civilian court.
2. I have not been granted full access to the indictment and so called “evidence” against me – 422 volumes in Azerbaijani, for which I was given only 21 working days to review, which have been classified as “state secrets.”
3. The "indictment" presented to me is not an official document, as it lacks the signatures of my accusers. Even the translation of this so-called document contains gross errors, making it impossible for me to understand the charges against me.
4. I have been denied my right to defense – my local lawyer, Avraam Berman, has had his access to materials restricted, his documents confiscated, and he has been subjected to psychological pressure. Further, my international legal team has been barred from communicating or visiting me and has not had access to any of the case materials
5. I have not been allowed to summon defense witnesses or file complaints regarding the violations committed during the investigation and trial.
6. All of the hearings have been secret and closed to the public.  Foreign journalists and independent international representatives have been barred from the courtroom.

This so-called ‘trial’ is not just against me. It is an attempt to criminalize all Armenians – all those who supported and demonstrated compassion toward Artsakh and its people, all those who showed compassion. This is an attack on an entire nation. I refuse to participate in this farce.

I appeal to world leaders, international organizations, human rights defenders, and members of the press:

This process demands your attention. The imitation of justice is an endorsement of lawlessness and injustice. Silence in the face of such violations paves the way for future tragedies, fueling hostility and a new wave of hatred. Only through truth, law, and humanity can peace and justice be ensured in the region”.

Ruben Vardanyan

[Elena Khachvankyan @khachvankyan]

My heart aches. The world can't remain silent as Armenian political prisoners in Azerbaijan endure grave violations of their fundamental human rights. Justice, transparency, and fundamental freedoms must prevail.
Spread the word so that the voices of our compatriots are heard.

[Ruben Vardanyan @RubenVardanyan_]

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

[Simon Maghakyan @simonforco]

🚨JUST IN: My @newlinesmag investigation with @DrArtyomTonoyan, @SiranushSargsy1 & Lori Berberian exposes the secret Azerbaijani facility that prompted ‘concentration camp’ fears in besieged Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. 🛰️ via @planet. Funding by @agbu https://t.co/h8hvV4hOOe

[Freedom House @freedomhouse]

This year, our team and partners interviewed over 300 witnesses as part of our efforts to meticulously document Azerbaijan’s campaign of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

See how else we’ve worked to hold authoritarians accountable in 2024: https://t.co/Hbaad6IxnC

[Freedom House @freedomhouse]

"There are chilling testimonies from Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians that were hard to read, even for us."

FH's @Shirinyan outlines the work behind our fact-finding mission in Nagorno-Karabakh and the gravity of Azerbaijan's atrocities in the territory.
https://t.co/6at6ARR96P

[Freedom House @freedomhouse]

How should the intl community respond to Azerbaijan’s years-long campaign to forcibly displace the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh?

🧑‍⚖️ Urge accountability
💪 Uphold the rights of those displaced
🇦🇲 Protect Armenian cultural heritage

Explore our recs: https://t.co/EzupOXOZND

[Freedom House @freedomhouse]

As #COP29 convenes in Azerbaijan, we present a detailed account of the Aliyev regime’s campaign of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and offer numerous recommendations to govts and intl orgs for how to hold it accountable.

See our full analysis ⬇️
https://t.co/EzupOXOZND

[Frédéric Collard @fcollard]

How could the international community have sunk so low? Awarding COP 29 to Azerbaijan, a petro-dictatorship that tramples on every value the COP claims to defend, is an affront to common sense and human dignity.

Let's remember who the host is: a country that orchestrated brutal ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, that indoctrinates its youth to hate Armenians, and that still holds Armenian prisoners of war in defiance of international conventions.

Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, a practitioner of the famous "caviar diplomacy", where truth is exchanged for privilege. A country that is wiping out the Christian churches of the world's first Christian country, that has used jihadists as mercenaries and that practices toxic anti-French and anti-European propaganda as far afield as New Caledonia.

War crimes, torture, unbridled propaganda... And this is where the planet chooses to discuss climate justice and peace?

Such a decision is not only absurd, it is highly immoral.
How many more masks will have to come off before we stop offering podiums to oppressors?
#StopGreenwashGenocide
#FreeArmenianHostages
#COP29
#copofshame

[Luis Moreno Ocampo @MorenoOcampo1]

The lead-up to #COP29 is filled with promises of sustainability, but where’s the justice? A country that hosts #COP29 while committing human rights violations cannot be trusted. Act before it’s too late. #StopGreenwashGenocide #FreeArmenianHostages

[The Guardian @guardian]

Azerbaijan accused of hypocrisy after calling for Cop29 global truce https://t.co/o6Z8BL6bfo

[Elena Khachvankyan @khachvankyan]

@NeilPHauer The world watched ethnic cleansing happening...The grief of the whole nation who in a matter of hours lost not only their homes, but lost the land on which they lived for tens of centuries, their culture, graves of their parents, churches

[Elena Khachvankyan @khachvankyan]

the world silently watched ethnic cleansing a year ago, and now they come to the state which implemented it for climate discussions https://t.co/D6JDTgsmo7

[Luis Moreno Ocampo @MorenoOcampo1]

#COP29 isn't just about climate action—it's about human rights! Demand justice for hostages. #StopGreenwashGenocide #FreePoliticalPrisoners

[Luis Moreno Ocampo @MorenoOcampo1]

As #COP29 approaches, let’s raise awareness about Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan. Share and comment to push for their freedom. #StopGreenwashGenocide

[Luis Moreno Ocampo @MorenoOcampo1]

We need YOU to help us fight for justice at #COP29! 🌍 Every voice counts. Post every day using #StopGreenwashGenocide & #FreeArmenianHostages. Comment, like, share posts, and spread the message! Together, we can expose the truth and demand action. 🙌