Ruben Vardanyan has refused a public defender.

At a court hearing in Baku, former Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan refused his appointed lawyer, Emil Babishov, after he refused the services of a contractual defense attorney.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," at a court hearing on October 21, former Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan refused the services of lawyer Avraham Berman, who had represented him in the trial for more than six months. Vardanyan stated that he did not have a contract with another lawyer, agreeing to a public defender. He later explained that he was forced to refuse Berman's services because all procedural defense options had been exhausted, and the presence of a contractual lawyer in the trial only created the illusion of protection.

Azerbaijan expert and former Armenian parliament member Tatevik Hayrapetyan reported today that Ruben Vardanyan has again renounced his lawyer. According to her, Vardanyan announced his refusal of Emil Babishov's services at today's hearing in the Baku Military Court.

“And he did the right thing; it clearly torpedoes this ‘judicial’ farce, which is directed against Armenia,” she wrote on her Telegram channel.

Emil Babishov was appointed Vardanyan’s public defender at the October 28 hearing; the defendant did not object to his appointment at the time,” the state-run Azerbaijani news agency Azertaj reported. On October 30, Hayrapetyan noted on her channel that Emil Babishov actively displays his anti-Armenian views on social media.

Lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, who represents the interests of Armenian prisoners at the ECHR, noted on November 1 that Vardanyan’s appointment of a public defender is purely formal. She noted that the new defender was not even given additional time to briefly review the case materials “for the sake of decency,” since the next hearing was scheduled on the usual day. periodically, according to a publication by the FreeVardanyan project.

Azerbaijani media, reporting today on the latest hearing in Vardanyan's case, did not mention the defendant's refusal of a lawyer.

The Baku Military Court has been considering charges against Ruben Vardanyan since January 2025. The charges against him carry a life sentence. Since April 1, victims have been speaking at the hearings; they have demanded the "harshest" punishment for Vardanyan. The defendant and his lawyer have repeatedly lodged protests with the court, but all motions to recuse the judges have been rejected.

Fifteen former Karabakh officials, including former presidents, are in custody in Azerbaijan. Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arkady Ghukasyan, as well as former parliament speaker David Ishkhanyan and former Nagorno-Karabakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan, whose case is being heard separately. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report titled "Vardanyan and 15 Karabakh leaders: key points about the Baku courts."