Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian-born billionaire banker who served as a senior official in the breakaway Armenian administration of Nagorno-Karabakh, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an Azerbaijani court on Tuesday, state media reported.
A Baku military court convicted Vardanyan on 42 charges including terrorism, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The United States is making a concerted push for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, neighbors in the South Caucasus that have fought a series of wars, primarily over Nagorno-Karabakh.
U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration signed economic deals in Yerevan and Baku last week, told Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a recent White House meeting that he would ask Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to release Armenian prisoners.
However, speaking to France24 this week, Aliyev ruled out pardons for the former Karabakh officials, saying they were guilty of grave crimes.
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Former Karabakh Official Vardanyan Gets 20 Years in Azerbaijani Prison
02/16/2026
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