Almost one-fifth of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has issued a statement calling for consideration of not only local but also international aspects when sentencing Ruben Vardanyan, who has been on trial since mid-January in a military court in Baku.
According to Report, citing CNN Prima News, the lawmakers emphasize the international scale of Vardanyan’s criminal activities, labeling him as a "sponsor of Putin" and a supporter of separatism. They are demanding harsh punishment for him.
They expressed hope that the verdict against Vardanyan will serve as a lesson to pro-Kremlin separatists across the post-Soviet space.
In their statement, the MPs remind that "Vardanyan’s activities have attracted attention and condemnation from politicians in various countries, civil society organizations, and international media."
The oligarch has been in prison in Baku since the fall of 2023 after being detained by Azerbaijani intelligence services in Karabakh while attempting to flee to Armenia from the territory of the unrecognized separatist entity, which Vardanyan had been leading until his arrest. He is accused of terrorism, organizing and financing illegal armed groups, war crimes, and forced deportation.
The trial of Vardanyan is attracting attention not only from Latvian lawmakers. In February of this year, Ukrainians and Romanians also spoke out about it. European Parliament member from Romania, Christina Terhes, from the European Conservatives and Reformists group, stated that Vardanyan's crimes go far beyond the South Caucasus.
CNN Prima News also emphasizes that despite attempts to avoid EU sanctions six years ago, the former leader of Armenian separatists in the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh" now stands trial in Azerbaijan and faces a life sentence.
In 2019, a group of European Parliament members called for sanctions against the Putin-linked oligarch. Three years later, 46 members of the US Congress made a similar call.
Bütün xəbərlər Facebook səhifəmizdə
.png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
USD
EUR
GBP
RUB