IN THE shadow of Mount Ararat, one of the world’s oldest Christian nations faces an existential crisis. My journey from seminary studies to corporate boardrooms has shown me how tragically we’ve allowed economic pragmatism to overrule the Christian imperative to defend the persecuted.
The Armenian people embraced Christianity in 301 AD, becoming the world’s first Christian nation. For nearly two millennia, they have preserved their faith despite persecution, genocide, and displacement. Yet, today, 120,000 Armenian Christians have been ethnically cleansed from Nagorno-Karabakh, their churches defaced or destroyed, and their leaders imprisoned.
Among them is my friend Ruben Vardanyan, who now wastes away in an Azerbaijani prison cell. His once-robust frame grows perilously frail after more than 20 days on hunger strike, a desperate protest following his unjust capture in September 2023.
For almost 550 days, he has endured imprisonment far from family and friends, his health deteriorating with each passing hour. Showing visible signs of torture and facing a secret military trial, he continues to be punished for one “crime”: helping fellow Armenian Christians in their ancestral homeland.
I FIRST met Ruben through our shared humanitarian work. Where many successful businesspeople measure achievement in profits alone, Ruben poured his financial success into projects reflecting profound Christian values. He restored the ninth- century Tatev Monastery and co-founded the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative to honour those who risk their lives saving others.
Most remarkably, when Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian Christians faced a blockade in 2022, Ruben didn’t merely send aid: he abandoned his comfortable life to move there himself, serving as State Minister when others turned away.
His story should matter deeply to Christians everywhere, not just as a human-rights case, but as a test of our willingness to stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ when economic interests pull us elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Britain and other Western nations deepen energy partnerships with Azerbaijan, turning a blind eye to these atrocities. I’ve sat in boardrooms where energy policy is debated, but there is nothing complex about this moral failure.
The situation grows more dire by the day. Last week, Azerbaijan ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross to close its delegation, effectively ending the organisation’s 32-year presence in the country. This follows the expulsion of media outlets including the BBC and Voice of America, as well as USAID.
The ICRC was the only organisation with access to Armenian prisoners such as Ruben, and provided their only contact with the outside world. Without these visits, prisoners would be completely cut off, unable even to communicate with their families. This calculated dismantling of international oversight reflects Azerbaijan’s growing confidence that it can act with impunity.
IN MATTHEW 25.40, Jesus tells us, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” How, then, shall we respond to the suffering of Armenian Christians? How can we reconcile our need for natural gas with our obligation to defend persecuted believers?
As Christians, we cannot separate our economic decisions from our spiritual obligations. During my time leading Unilever, I worked to demonstrate that businesses could be profitable while upholding human dignity.
Yet, today, as Western nations seek alternatives to Russian energy, we risk enabling another authoritarian regime that crushes religious freedom. The imprisonment of Ruben and 22 other Armenian leaders represents a failure of moral courage that should trouble every Christian conscience.
Our response must begin with bearing witness. The story of Armenian Christians deserves to be told from every pulpit, in our media, and throughout our communities. We must press our MPs and government ministers to make human-rights conditions non-negotiable in our energy partnerships with Azerbaijan.
And, yes, we must pray fervently, but with the understanding that true prayer compels us toward action, not complacency. Ruben’s hunger strike continues as his life hangs in the balance. Each day that we remain silent, we betray our Christian values and abandon our persecuted brothers and sisters.
I implore you to write to your MP demanding diplomatic pressure on Azerbaijan, to bring awareness and support to the tragedy facing thousands of displaced Armenian families in your parishes and communities, and to not be afraid to ask uncomfortable questions about where your energy comes from and at what moral cost. Our collective voice can and must be heard.
The story of Nagorno-Karabakh is not merely a foreign-policy challenge: it is a test of our Christian witness in a world that increasingly measures value in barrels and pipelines rather than human dignity. Christ calls us to a different standard.
The persecution of Armenian Christians demands our response through prayer, through advocacy, and through sacrifice. Will we honour our faith by standing with them, or will we look away for the sake of convenience? The choice we make today will echo through eternity.
Paul Polman is the former chief executive of Unilever (2009-2019), Chair of the Saïd Business School, Vice-Chair of the UN Global Compact, and a leading advocate who helped to develop the UN Sustainable Development Goals.