The Czech newspaper Lidové noviny has published an article on the nomination of businessman, philanthropist and former Artsakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan, who is currently imprisoned in Baku, for the 2026 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize.
According to the publication, Vardanyan was nominated by a group of human rights defenders from Armenia and abroad.
“They note that, by leaving behind his wealth and personal comfort, Vardanyan literally made a personal sacrifice, choosing to try to save the people of Nagorno-Karabakh when it had already become clear that Azerbaijan would take control of the territory and that the Russians would allow events to unfold unchecked. He put his personal safety and comfortable future at risk in order to seek dialogue and mutual understanding in one of the world’s most difficult and sensitive conflict zones,” journalist Tomáš Vlach wrote.
Addressing the question of whether the nomination is likely to succeed, he stated that it is still unclear what the outcome will be.
“The fate of nearly two dozen Armenian prisoners from Nagorno-Karabakh held in Azerbaijani prisons remains outside the focus of the international community, while human rights defenders consider these cases to be politically motivated,” the article says.
The article also presents the position of the international human rights organization Amnesty International, which has described the trials taking place in Baku as a “mockery of justice.”
A court in Baku sentenced Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison.
Former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan was sentenced to life imprisonment. Former Defense Army commander Levon Mnatsakanyan and former first deputy commander Davit Manukyan also received life sentences, as did former Artsakh Foreign Minister Davit Babayan and National Assembly Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan.
Former Artsakh presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan were sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Madat Babayan and Melikset Pashayan were sentenced to 19 years in prison, Garik Martirosyan to 18 years, Davit Alaverdyan and Levon Balayan to 16 years, and Erik Ghazaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan and Vasil Beglaryan to 15 years in prison.
