Armenian and International Human Rights Organizations File Formal Complaint to UN Exposing Conflicts of Interest by WGAD Member in Armenian Captives Cases

A coalition of Armenian and international human rights organizations, led by the Artsakh Union, has submitted a comprehensive complaint-report to the United Nations calling for an immediate investigation into Ganna Yudkivska, a member of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD). The report details severe and undisclosed conflicts of interest that compromise her participation in the WGAD’s Opinion No. 46/2024 concerning the detention of Armenian leader and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan by the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The formal complaint, addressed to the WGAD, the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures, and the President of the UN Human Rights Council, outlines a disturbing pattern of financial, political, and personal ties linking Mrs. Yudkivska to the Government of Azerbaijan, as well as a history of ethical breaches.

According to the extensive evidence provided in the report, Mrs. Yudkivska’s participation in the Vardanyan case violates multiple UN regulations, including the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate-holders. The primary conflicts of interest outlined in the coalition’s submission include:

• Direct Financial Ties to Azerbaijan: Mrs. Yudkivska is an active partner at Equity Law Firm, a Ukrainian legal practice that provides compensated legal services to the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), the country’s leading state-owned enterprise.

• Political and Personal Bias: Her husband, former Ukrainian politician Georgii Logvynskyi, maintains direct connections with Azerbaijan and has publicly supported Azerbaijan’s territorial claims over Nagorno-Karabakh—the very political dispute at the center of Ruben Vardanyan’s arbitrary arrest and ongoing detention.

• A History of Ethical Shortcomings: The report highlights past controversies during Mrs. Yudkivska's tenure as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), including rulings favoring organizations she was previously affiliated with, issuing politically charged opinions favoring Azerbaijan, and leveraging her judicial immunity to shield her husband from an active anti-corruption arrest warrant issued by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).

• Double Standards in Recusal Practices: Mrs. Yudkivska routinely recuses herself from cases involving the Russian Federation due to her Ukrainian nationality and her financial interests in a firm addressing war damages caused by Russia. Despite Ruben Vardanyan’s 50-year history as a prominent Russian citizen and Azerbaijan's own public assertions that Vardanyan is a "Russian envoy," Mrs. Yudkivska deliberately chose not to recuse herself from his case.

“The integrity of the United Nations' human rights mechanisms relies entirely on the absolute independence, transparency, and impartiality of its mandate holders,” stated Artak Beglaryan, President of the Artsakh Union. “The overwhelming evidence of Mrs. Yudkivska’s financial and political ties to Azerbaijan fundamentally compromises the WGAD's opinion regarding Ruben Vardanyan and any possible opinion on other Armenian captives. A mandate holder financially tied to the respondent state cannot impartially adjudicate a case involving that state's political prisoner. We demand immediate accountability and a fresh, unbiased review of this case.”

In light of these findings, the coalition urgently requests that the United Nations:

1. Initiate an immediate supervisory review of Mrs. Yudkivska’s breaches of the UN Code of Conduct.

2. Mandate Mrs. Yudkivska’s recusal from any and all future WGAD cases involving the Republic of Azerbaijan.

3. Invalidate Opinion No. 46/2024 and adopt a new, impartial opinion regarding Ruben Vardanyan’s case against the Republic of Azerbaijan to safeguard the integrity of the WGAD’s procedures.

The complaint builds upon an initial open-source investigation conducted in late 2025 by Luis Moreno Ocampo, former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and materials by the Center for Truth and Justice.

The full complaint-report can be found here.

The coalition filing this urgent appeal represents a diverse group of Armenian and international human rights organizations dedicated to international justice, atrocity prevention, and the rights of the forcibly displaced people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

Signatories to the Complaint:

• Artsakh Union (Artak Beglaryan, President)

• International and Comparative Law Center (Siranush Sahakyan, Director)

• Armenian Legal Defense Front (Karnig Kerkonian, President)

• Christian Solidarity International (John Eibner, President)

• Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) (Gegham Stepanyan)

• Foundation Against Violation of Law (Larisa Alaverdyan, Executive Director)