Azerbaijan Jails Ex-Nagorno-Karabakh Leader Ruben Vardanyan for 20 Years

• Ruben Vardanyan, former Nagorno-Karabakh official and Armenian-born billionaire, sentenced to 20 years in prison by an Azerbaijani court.
• Convicted on 42 charges including terrorism, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
• US pushing for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan; Trump administration signed economic deals in Yerevan and Baku.
• Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev ruled out pardons for former Karabakh officials, citing grave crimes.
• Vardanyan's son condemned the verdict as "predetermined" and urged Washington and Yerevan to secure his father's release.