Society (Page 16)

My father is alone in a prison cell. For him, the reasons for his and other Armenians’ arrests are far more important than the conditions of his imprisonment. Ruben Vardanyan’s son Exactly two years ago, on September 27, 2023, Ruben Vardanyan was arrested by Azerbaijani authorities. He and other Christian Armenian prisoners continue to be held in a Baku prison on trumped-up charges. Ruben Vardanyan’s son, David Vardanyan, gave an interview to CivilNet. Below are some excerpts from the interview: — Throughout this time, very little information has been received about the conditions of my father’s detention. Especially now that the Red Cross no longer operates in Azerbaijan. As far as we know, my father is alone in a prison cell. We don’t know anything specific about his health. He says he’s fine and asks us not to worry, but we understand that he would have said that anyway. I think the reasons for his and the other 22 Armenian Christian prisoners of war are far more important to him than the conditions of his imprisonment. — Many, including myself, didn’t realize how important the Red Cross is worldwide, not just in Azerbaijan or Armenia, but in many other conflict zones, until a family member was captured. The Red Cross served two very important functions. First, it was the only independent organization that could monitor the health and conditions of prisoners. While they can’t influence the conditions of prisoners, they can provide reliable information to families, which is very important to us. Because uncertainty is what drives a person crazy, especially… over a long period of time. Second, thanks to the Red Cross, we were able to record video messages for our father. So, at least we had visual contact with him. Now we’ve completely lost that opportunity. — US President Trump’s team seems more willing to address the issue of the 23 Armenian Christian prisoners of war. Trump made it clear at the UN that Christians are the most persecuted religious community in the world, and he will fight for them. At the same time, what was said publicly in Washington this August was certainly not enough for us and, I think, for all Armenians. We cannot achieve true peace without the liberation of Armenian Christians. At the same time, what’s happening behind the scenes is quite remarkable, and I think we need to do more to advance this agenda. “I think these are very important times for unity. And we, Armenians, have this unique opportunity. We have the most international diaspora in the world, in the most key and important countries. We have truly significant IT and technological innovations, we are the oldest Christian country in the world, and we are a democracy, which is a unique combination for our region. So, we have all the tools, and the question is, can we unite, put aside our differences, and come together not only to bring the captives home, but also to ensure real peace, not just peace on paper?”