If not with Nobel, then with Havel: the Vardanyan Theater of the Absurd

That's what the life-giving dollar does... Although, maybe not the dollar, but the euro. It is not known for certain in what currency the Vardanyan family pays for the services of various human rights defenders. The services of these comrades, I think, are not cheap. Interference in the affairs of other States, spreading slander, and supporting criminals cannot come cheap.

Armenian media reports that on Monday, May 18, a group of well-known human rights defenders from around the world nominated Ruben Vardanyan, who is serving a sentence in Azerbaijan, for the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Award 2026.

The authors of the appeal claim that Vardanyan made a "significant contribution" to the protection of human rights in the world through the Aurora Prize, selflessly defended the rights of Armenian separatists and terrorists. Therefore, they are firmly convinced that he deserves this award.

Some passages are clearly aimed at squeezing tears of emotion from the members of the organizing committee of the award, the criminal is represented in them as an angelic being who only thinks about saving the world and the Armenian people, infinitely believes in goodness, and so on. And that's why he needs to be awarded a prize, so as not to destroy his touching faith in the eternity of goodness.

For some reason unknown to anyone, Vardanyan's decision to go to Karabakh and support the separatists "deeply resonated" in the hearts of the authors of the appeal. Why this decision should have resonated in the hearts of a Burundian human rights defender, director of the Congolese Women's Foundation, an American doctor and a Yazidi activist is completely unclear. Only a certain supposedly world-famous writer named Zanoyan can be understood as tribesmen after all.

So, heart-aching figures, calling Vardanyan simply Ruben in their own way, describe the sacrifices he made for the sake of - attention! - "dialogue, negotiations and search for mutual understanding in a region where one of the most complex and acute conflicts in the world has flared up."..

So that's why, it turns out, Vardanyan came to Khankendi, and we, such and such, did not immediately recognize his good intentions.

It is clear that an American doctor and a defender of the rights of Congolese women cannot know what Ruben Vardanyan was really doing in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers. This activity was very far from seeking dialogue and mutual understanding. The Russian billionaire was engaged in propaganda of separatism, agitated the Armenian population not to agree to the reintegration proposed by Baku, and at the same time waged a political struggle for power in the self-proclaimed entity, gathered rallies, and sought supporters. The then leadership of the separatist regime showed signs of weakness, and Vardanyan was sent to Khankendi in order to prevent separatism in Karabakh from dying peacefully without regaining consciousness. The "Minister of State" was pushing people to continue the confrontation.

These are all known facts. But Vardanyan's support group, of course, does not share them with those who sign such appeals, clearly not understanding what they are talking about.

I don't think anyone will be surprised that all the signatories of the appeals received the Vardanyan Aurora Prize at different times. This is a common practice for this "charity initiative". Aurora laureates don't get money for nothing. They become hostages of the Vardanyan cartel. Aurora makes them obligated to dance to the Armenian tune in the future. Most of them are representatives of third world countries or developing countries who have no idea about the South Caucasus, and even more so about some kind of Karabakh. The Armenians mobilize the Aurora laureates to carry out various kinds of dirty tasks, and they join the ranks at the first call. To a certain extent, they can be understood - whoever pays, orders the music. 100 thousand is a lot of money.

The number one task now is to secure the release of the sponsor of the award, Ruben Vahardanian, and each laureate must contribute to this cause. For example, the Pakistani human rights activist Seyda Ghulam Fatima, who received the Vardanyan Prize in 2016, loudly promised two years ago to come to Baku and break through to the trial of the "benefactor". This statement was made according to the instructions, but of course she did not come to Baku.

Or let's take another Aurora Prize winner who signed up to defend Vardanyan. Yezidi writer and human rights activist Mirza Dinnayi turned out to be a big fan of this criminal, traveled to Karabakh during Vardanyan's stay there and showered him with compliments.

This time, Burundian human rights activist Marguerite Barankits, American doctor and humanitarian activist Tom Catena, Congolese human rights activist Julien Lusenge and Mirza Dinnayi received instructions. All of them received Aurora awards and were, as they say, on the hook. Vahan Zanoyan, a writer and part-time anti-trafficking activist and global energy consultant, stands apart. He is, apparently, the conductor and artistic director of this "collective".

The Vaclav Havel Prize, named after the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic, is awarded by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Vaclav Havel Library and the Charter 77 Foundation. The Award, established in 2013 and, as stated in the publications of the Council of Europe, "is designed to recognize the outstanding efforts of civil society in the field of human rights protection in Europe and beyond. Candidates must make a significant difference to the human rights situation of a particular group, play an important role in uncovering large-scale systemic violations, or successfully mobilize public opinion or the international community in support of a particular cause." The award winners are announced annually in September at the PACE session.

The PACE's presence in the case probably greatly attracted the organizers of the current rally in support of Vardanyan. Everyone knows about the strained relations between the PA of the Council of Europe and Baku, and it is possible that the organizers of the campaign expect to take advantage of the patronage of Strasbourg.

Meanwhile, it is worth recalling that this is not the first attempt to embellish the image of the Armenian criminal, seeking international prizes for him in the field of peace and human rights. In April 2024, a pompous appeal was sent to award Ruben Vardanyan the Nobel Peace Prize. This news seemed fake and anecdotal at first, but it soon became clear that Vardanyan and Co. had funded the campaign, even buying three real Nobel Prize winners.

Nothing came of that idea, because not only Azerbaijan opposed the nomination of the fraudster. The idea of awarding the peace Prize to such a person caused a wide response. The American international relations publication The National Interest wrote that the inclusion of Ruben Vardanyan's name in the list of nominees undermines the prestige of the Nobel Prize. And it was not about supporting Armenian separatism, but about Vardanyan's widely publicized business machinations. Ukraine opposed the nomination of the Russian billionaire. The Armenian fraudster is listed in the Mirotvorets sanctions database as a person subject to "immediate detention and transfer to the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine and NATO countries" for acts committed against the national security of this country and other offenses. The representative of Transparency International said about Ruben Vardanyan that he is trying to look like a philanthropist, and not as a person who is engaged in withdrawing money and partnering with very suspicious, corrupt people who, as it is now clear, are at the origins of the war in Ukraine.

All these arguments against nominating Vardanyan remain on the agenda today. The machinations of the Troika Dialog, money laundering and other "good deeds" of the Russian billionaire cannot disappear for any bribes. If his criminal activities in Azerbaijan do not play a role for the world, it will not be possible to turn a blind eye to the scandals surrounding his name. However, there is one caveat. In 2019, when MEPs demanded sanctions against Vardanyan for fraud, they opposed the Russian fraudster. Now, having renounced his Russian citizenship, Vardanyan has become an Armenian fraudster. This somewhat changes the emphasis in the attitude of European structures towards him, especially if the issue is being resolved in PACE.

But let's not guess. We'll stock up on popcorn and watch how this vaudeville ends.