International Court of Justice sides with Azerbaijan, rejects Armenia’s claims in Vardanyan trial

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has dismissed a series of requests by Armenia concerning the treatment of Ruben Vardanyan and 15 other Armenians who are currently facing trial before the Baku Military Court.

The individuals are charged with crimes linked to Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan, as well as actions taken during and after the 2020 Patriotic War, says a statement by Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, Caliber.Az reports.

“On 25 April 2025, the International Court of Justice in The Hague declined a series of requests by Armenia in connection with the treatment of Ruben Vardanyan and other 15 Armenians currently under the trial before the Baku Military Court with respect to crimes committed as a result of aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, and during and after the 2020 Patriotic War,” the statement notes.

“Having considered Azerbaijan's response and accompanying evidence in the case concerning the Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Court decided not to request further information, or to commission an independent enquiry or expert report, into the detainees’ circumstances.”

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry emphasized that the detainees, including Vardanyan, are being treated in full compliance with both Azerbaijani and international legal standards. The Ministry also highlighted that the detainees have been subject to multiple visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Azerbaijan’s Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, further confirming the transparency and legality of the process.

“The Court's decision follows recent opinion by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which confirmed that Ruben Vardanyan is being detained on the basis of criminal charges concerning serious threats to Azerbaijan's national security, public safety and public order. 

This decision once again confirms that Armenia's baseless requests designed to disrupt the ongoing trials and distract from the misconduct of Armenia's illegally installed regime in the formerly-occupied territories will not yield any result,” the ministry added.

By Vafa Guliyeva