A group of prominent human rights activists from around the world have nominated Ruben Vardanyan for the 2026 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize. Mane Tandilyan

A group of well-known human rights defenders from different countries around the world has nominated Ruben Vardanyan for the 2026 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. This was announced by Mane Tandilyan, co-founder of the “Country to Live” party.

“The nominating group has issued the following statement, presented below.

Statement on the Nomination of Ruben Vardanyan for the 2026 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize

We, the undersigned individuals engaged in the protection of human rights in various countries around the world, hereby announce that we have nominated the Armenian philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan for the 2026 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize.

This nomination is based on Ruben’s significant contribution to the protection of human rights worldwide through the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, as well as his dedication to defending the rights of his compatriots in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). We firmly believe that Ruben Vardanyan rightfully deserves this award.

The Aurora Prize, co-founded by Ruben Vardanyan together with his partners Noubar Afeyan and Vartan Gregorian, has enabled Aurora laureates to continue their work in the field of human rights protection and has literally saved thousands of lives across different countries and continents. Ruben believes that goodness is eternal and immortal, and that it grows stronger when one performs good deeds. Thanks to his support, it has been possible to continue defending the rights of people facing difficult circumstances and to give them a second chance at life.

For Ruben, the protection of human rights and human dignity stands above everything else. Therefore, his decision to stand beside his compatriots in Nagorno-Karabakh during their time of hardship was more than understandable to all of us. There, Ruben acted as a defender of the rights of the indigenous population.

A pacifist by nature and conviction, Ruben risked his life and secure future in order to seek paths of dialogue, negotiation, and mutual understanding in one of the world’s most difficult and sensitive conflict zones.

‘Human reason, dignity, solidarity, and the willingness to seek mutual understanding and live together under just conditions will overcome everything that threatens them.’ These are the words of Václav Havel, spoken in 1995 at the opening ceremony of the European Court of Human Rights building. Ruben is also a bearer and follower of this ideology and these values. Therefore, we deeply believe that his exceptional activities are fully in line with the spirit of this award and the principles of Václav Havel.

By a cruel twist of fate, today the human rights advocate and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan himself is in need of protection, as he has been sentenced by Azerbaijan’s military court to twenty years of imprisonment on fabricated charges and is currently being held in a prison in Baku together with several other figures from Nagorno-Karabakh.

We are convinced that awarding this prize would be both a worthy recognition of Ruben Vardanyan’s exceptional efforts and an important step toward securing the release of him and the other Armenian prisoners currently held in Baku.

Nominating Group:

Vahan Zanoyan, writer, anti-trafficking advocate, and global energy consultant

Marguerite Barankitse, Burundian human rights defender and founder of Maison Shalom

Tom Catena, American doctor and philanthropist, founder of the Mother of Mercy Hospital in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains

Julienne Lusenge, human rights defender, philanthropist, and co-founder of the Congolese organization Women’s Solidarity for Inclusive Peace and Development

Mirza Dinnayi, Iraqi Yazidi human rights defender and activist, co-founder of Luftbrücke Irak,” she wrote.