Representatives of the Azerbaijani public have demonstrated a firm stance against campaigns conducted by pro-Armenian organizations in some Western countries to portray a number of war criminals convicted in Azerbaijan, including war criminal Ruben Vardanyan, as “victims.”
elchi reports that in an Open Letter issued by Azerbaijani NGOs, families of martyrs, relatives of missing persons, victims of mine terror, and former internally displaced persons, it is stated that Ruben Vardanyan and others were convicted for the grave crimes they committed, as well as for financing separatism and terrorism. It is noted that the campaigns artificially constructed in their names aim to stifle and overshadow the rightful voice of the real victims of these crimes—thousands of Azerbaijanis who have directly suffered from conflict, occupation, ethnic cleansing, terror, and the threat of landmines for decades.
The document emphasizes that Azerbaijani civil society has for many years been addressing international structures, demanding the protection of the rights of war crime victims, the establishment of historical justice, and the preservation of international responsibility principles. In this context, the Open Letter addressed to US President Donald Trump (https://en.apa.az/foreign-policy/azerbaijani-ngos-address-open-letter-to-us-president-donald-trump-487462), sharp protest appeals regarding unilateral initiatives put forward in the US Congress (https://azertag.az/en/xeber/4264859), as well as statements sent to the Lemkin Institute (https://report.az/en/foreign-politics/azerbaijani-ngos-call-on-us-based-lemkin-institute-to-apologize), members of the British Parliament (https://www.azernews.az/nation/254843.html), and other international institutions are recalled. The authors of the appeal specifically declare that Azerbaijan’s right and obligation to investigate grave crimes committed on its sovereign territories, ensure the rule of law, and bring perpetrators to justice stem from both domestic legislation and fundamental international law norms, and external interference in this sovereign right is unacceptable.
The document exposes with facts that the numerous calls made by families of missing persons to the international community over decades have remained unanswered, that the fate of more than 4,000 Azerbaijanis who went missing as a result of Armenia’s military aggression remains unknown to this day, and that the humanitarian tragedy of more than 3,400 mine victims is biasedly ignored in global campaigns. In particular, the bitter fate of Elmira Dadashova, who passed away last year after living a life of deep inner suffering without even receiving news about her missing son, is cited as one of the examples of double standards and moral damage demonstrated by the international community.
The letter states that the initialing of the draft “Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia” in Washington in August 2025 laid the foundation for a fundamental and new stage of development in the region. At the same time, it is firmly emphasized that lasting peace in the South Caucasus is possible only on the basis of an honest legal assessment of grave war crimes committed in the past, holding criminals accountable before the law, and the full restoration of the trampled rights of the victims.