The billionaire in the trial in Azerbaijan, who risk leaving it behind the peace deal

Robin Fardanian is one of the richest men of Armenia, but millions of little use after facing a possible life in prison in neighboring Azerbaijan.

The Caucasus countries adjacent to the text of a historic peace agreement agreed to end the conflict for decades on the lands of Nagorno Karabakh, but Varanean and 15 other former Armenian leaders are not part of the agreement.

They are being tried in a military court in Baku, accused of decades war crimes.

Vardanyan, a 56 -year -old Russian businessman, faces 42 charges, including planning, war, mercenary activities and terrorism.

It seems that a picture of him in the court shows bruises on his forehead and there were allegations of torture, which Azerbaijan denied that he insists on respecting his rights to reservations.

It represents a dramatic fall of a man who we have weeded in Russia and left the shoulders with celebrities like George and Amal Clooney.

He created the first investment bank for Russia in the early nineties, as a founder of the prestigious business administration school in the country “Skolkovo”, enjoyed the reputation of the progressive insight, a western voice in the business community in Russia in 2000.

However, the investigation conducted in 2019 by the project to report organized crime and corruption said that its investment bank employees built a financial system that washed billions of dollars in mid -2000.

Vardanyan denied the realization of any criminal activities, and was not legally charged.

Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on charitable projects in Armenia, and around a quiet city in the snow -covered mountains in the north of the country, where it established a school with the aim of attracting students from all over the world.

“This school has been imagined as an institution that would bring Armenia to the world and the world to Armenia,” says Adam Armansky, director of the United World Faculties (UWC) in Deligan.

Everything changed for Robin Fardanian in September 2022 when he decided to move to Nagorno Karabakh, a mountainous area that the Armenian Armenians lived historically but part of the Soviet Azerbaijan.

Armenia and Azerbaijan had already fought two full wars on the region, which was recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan.

The Karambach War I in the 1990s resulted in the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Azerbility.

Then, in 2020, Azerbaijan – backed by Türkiye – regained control of large areas of lost lands, while the Carabach pocket remained in the hands of Armenian ethnic separatists.

Within months of the arrival of Fardanian, the Azerbaijani authorities prevented the only road that connects Nagorno Karabakh to the Republic of Armenia, The inhabitants of the region are subjected to a severe lack of food.

Vardanyan abandoned his Russian nationality and became the actual main minister of Nagorno-karabakh, which is called the Armenians. He used his name, contacts, and the ability to speak English fluently to raise awareness of the Armenian Karabakh plight.

His son David Fardanian told the BBC: “My father has conducted more interviews with the international media in three months more than all Nagorno Carabach heads in 30 years. David Vardianian said of the amount of interest he received from Western media Azerbaijan.”

There was speculation that Fardanian had moved there to avoid international sanctions imposed on Russian billionaires with links to the Kremlin.

The government in Baku considered his decision to take this position illegal.

His son insists that he was driven by the desire to help the local Armenians.

“We had an argument about the last family vacation, I was completely against his decision, who was putting the entire family at risk. He said he would not be able to live with himself knowing that he did nothing for Armenian in Karabakh.”

His father’s friend said in the long run, Arman Gilavian, so that the most important chances of helping the Armenians to stay in the lands of their ancestors were sufficient for him.

“Some might say that this was irrational, some say that this political step that was calculated is super. I think nothing is true,” he says.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military operation and took control of the entire area within 24 hours.

The leaders of Nagorno Karabakh surrendered and forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenian to leave their homes.

Fardanian was arrested by the Azerbaijani authorities when he joined a mass migration to Armenia.

His family says that most of his time has ever spent in solitary confinement.

He was already on the hunger of the strike twice, and protested what he called the lack of a suitable judicial operation, amid allegations of torture.

Fifteen leaders of Karabakh are also tried in the Baku Military Court for the commission of the alleged war crimes since the late 1980s.

Vardanyan has been dealt with separately, but a lot in Armenia see all cases such as showing experiences.

The Azerbaijani State TV channel has been allowed to photograph experiments.

Azerbaijan insists that it complies with international legal standards, and that he is responsible for relying on suspected war crimes.

However, last month, the government in Baku ordered the closure of the local international offices of the International Red Cross, the only international organization with access to Armenian prisoners.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on “the illegal detainee and fake trials of Armenian hostages”, and called for their immediate release.

Vardanyan returns to the court on Tuesday, but the supporters fear that its case will be overwhelmed through a historic peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The details have not yet been published, but officials say that the text project does not include the issue of prisoners in the trial or the right of the Armenian Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh to return to their homes.

The failure to mention the prisoners has been criticizing the government of Armenian Prime Minister Nicole Pashinian at home and abroad.

But Arsen Torusian, a member of the Armenian ruling civil contract, believes that this issue needs a separate solution.

“It is the peace treaty between the conflicting countries that have a long history of hatred between each other. I personally think that the completion or signing of this peace treaty can only put the issue of political prisoners. I do not see any other way to do this.”

Vardanyan warned that this is a mistake.

He said in a voice message to supporters: “This is not only the trial of I and 15 others – this is the trial of all Armenians.”

“If you do not understand this – it’s a great tragedy because this is not the end of the story, not the end of the conflict, it is only the next stage of the conflict, for all parties.”