BAKU: A court in Azerbaijan today extended by four months the detention of Ruben Vardanyan, a former head of the breakaway ethnic Armenian government in Nagorno-Karabakh and a man Baku regards as an illegal separatist.

Azerbaijan retook the breakaway region in September, prompting a mass exodus of the ethnic Armenians living there and Azerbaijani security forces detained Vardanyan while he was trying to flee, according to his wife.

Once a billionaire banker in Russia, Azerbaijan is investigating him on charges of financing terrorism, establishing or joining an illegal armed group, and illegally crossing the state border.

A court official confirmed to Reuters his detention had been extended by four months.

Vardanyan was head of the breakaway Karabakh ethnic Armenian government in late 2022 but was dismissed after just four months and opted to stay there.

Vardanyan’s family, who describe him as “humanitarian (who) has never been involved in any military activities”, says he is being illegally held in Azerbaijan and have called for his release.