SYDNEY: The Member for Ryde, Mr Jordan Lane MP, is the latest elected official to pen a letter to Mr Vagif Jafarov, Azerbaijani Charge d’Affairs in Australia in his capacity as a protection sponsor for Mr Ruben Vardanyan.
Lane joins other New South Wales and Victorian Parliamentarians in writing to the Azerbaijani authorities in Australia, calling for regular updates on the health, detention status and legal proceedings of Armenian hostages, in particular Mr Ruben Vardanyan.
Ruben Vardanyan, a philanthropist and businessman, has dedicated much of his life to humanitarian projects, best known for his role as a co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and for his tenure as the former State Minister of Artsakh. He is one of the most high profile political prisoners currently detained in Azerbaijan on fabricated charges.
In his letter to Mr Jafarov, Lane said: “I also acknowledge the importance this matter holds for members of the Armenian-Australian community, including residents within my own electorate of Ryde, many of whom expressed deep personal concern for Mr Vardanyan and others affected by the recent conflict in Artsakh.”
The electorate of Ryde is home to Australia’s largest concentration of Armenian-Australian voters, with Ryde City Council having recognised both the Armenian Genocide and the rights to self-determination of the people of Artsakh.
The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) has welcomed the letter sent by Mr Lane, expressing the community’s gratitude for his calls for greater transparency during the trials.
ANC-AU Executive Director Michael Kolokossian said: "It is the height of hypocrisy for Azerbaijan to parade itself as a nation of peace on the world stage, while innocent Armenians—whose only 'crime' was their pursuit of self-determination—have been rotting in jail cells for nearly two years.”
Kolokossian added: “These hostages are a living testament to the brutal reality behind Azerbaijan’s polished PR campaigns. No nation that imprisons people for simply existing as Armenians can claim the mantle of peace."
