Attorney Siranush Sahakyan has filed an official application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) regarding the case of Ruben Vardanyan, a citizen of Armenia currently detained at the Umbaki Penitentiary Complex in Azerbaijan.

The application details alleged violations of eight articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, supported by legal and factual arguments.

According to a statement released by Sahakyan, who represents Vardanyan before the ECtHR, the Baku Military Court sentenced Vardanyan to 20 years in prison on February 17, 2026, without reading the full judgment during the session.

"From the verdict later made available through his family, it became clear that Vardanyan was found 'guilty' on 41 counts under 21 articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. His individual guilt was not substantiated by facts or evidence. Instead, the court concluded that the unrecognized administration of Artsakh constituted a 'criminal community' operating since 1988, and that Vardanyan joined it in December 2020—even though he was residing in Moscow at the time," Sahakyan stated.

The attorney noted that the court categorized Vardanyan’s civil administrative appointment as a violent seizure of power, his commercial and charitable work as illegal entrepreneurship and financing of terrorism, and his entry into Nagorno-Karabakh via the Lachin Corridor as illegal border crossing.

Vardanyan opted not to appeal the ruling in Azerbaijan, describing the proceedings as a predetermined show trial and domestic remedies as ineffective.

"It is impossible to protect one's rights within a system that inherently denies the right to a fair trial. In these circumstances, he chose to seek justice through international legal mechanisms," Sahakyan concluded.