Mkhitaryan: I join demanding safe release of Ruben Vardanyan, all other Armenians detained in Azerbaijan

Inter Milan midfielder and former captain of the Armenian national football squad Henrikh Mkhitaryan, went on social media and called for the release of the former Minister of State of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), well-known Russian Armenian businessman and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan, who was transferred from the Lachin corridor to Azerbaijani capital Baku and imprisoned for four months.

“I join my fellow Armenians in demanding the safe release of Ruben Vardanyan and all other Armenians detained in Azerbaijan. As tens of thousands of families are fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh for safe refuge to Armenia, detention is becoming an alarming trend.

“Ruben Vardanyan stands out as an outspoken advocate for peace not only in our region but in the world. He is a world known philanthropist, businessman and co-founder of the Aurora Prize humanitarian initiative which advocates for peacebuilding and provides people around the world with education and healthcare,” Mkhitaryan wrote.