The recent arrest by the government of #Azerbaijan of philanthropist, businessman, Armenian citizen and co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, @RubenVardanyan_, is both outrageous and politically motivated. As members of the global #humanitarian and #humanrights community we call for his immediate release. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, to which Ruben has given so much, has for the past eight years honored and supported the work of those who fight for basic human rights, often at the risk of their own lives, all around the world. The irony is that Ruben now finds himself a victim of the same persecution as those he has sought to help as a human rights defender. When Ruben moved to #NagornoKarabakh over a year ago, prior to the 10-month-long blockade of all food and basic necessities and recent bombings, he did so knowing that there were significant risks, but he was determined to help find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Detaining Ruben, a man who has spent the last 20 years dedicated to advancing the socio-economic development of the region, is unjust. This action deprives him of his basic rights much like the tens of thousands of Armenians of the region whose fundamental human rights are violated daily. Ruben Vardanyan is being held captive because of his support for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and their right to a democratic way of life. The Azerbaijani government must release him and demonstrate their respect for human rights – his and those of all Armenians of the region։ bit.ly/3PzGM35 Fartuun Adan 2020 Aurora Prize Laureate; Founder, @ElmanPeaceHRC @NoubarAfeyan Co-Founder, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative; Founder and CEO, @FlagshipPioneer; Co-Founder and Chairman, @moderna_tx @JamilaAfghani 2022 Aurora Prize Laureate; President, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (@WILPF) Afghanistan Oscar Arias @oariascr Honorary Member, Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Two-Time President of Costa Rica; Peace @NobelPrize Laureate Marguerite Barankitse 2016 Aurora Prize Laureate; Founder, @Maison_Shalom @CatenaTom Chair, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative; 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate; Medical Director, Mother of Mercy Hospital @Ara_Darzi Chair, Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Co-Director, Institute of Global Health Innovation at @imperialcollege London Mirza Dinnayi @MDinnayi 2019 Aurora Prize Laureate; Co-Founder and Director, Air Bridge Iraq Shirin Ebadi Honorary Member, Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Founder, Defenders of Human Rights Center; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate @IlwadElman 2020 Aurora Prize Laureate; COO, Elman Peace And Human Rights Centre Gareth Evans Honorary Member, Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Former Foreign Minister of Australia; President Emeritus, International @CrisisGroup @LeymahRGbowee Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Founder and President, @GboweePeace Foundation Africa; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Hina Jilani Honorary Member, Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan; Former @UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders @DeleOlojede Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Founder, @africainworld Festival; @PulitzerPrizes Winner @PaulPolman Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Business Leader, Climate and Equalities Campaigner; Former CEO of @Unilever John Prendergast Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Human Rights Activist Louise Richardson Aurora Prize Selection Committee; President, @CarnegieCorp of New York Mary Robinson Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Chair, @TheElders; Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Former President of Ireland Ernesto Zedillo Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Director of the Center for the Study of Globalization at @Yale University; Former President of Mexico