Baku, February 12, AZERTAC

A review session of the criminal case against citizens of the Republic of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Davit Babayan, Lyova Mnatsakanyan and others, who are accused of committing crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, including the preparation and conduct of a war of aggression, acts of genocide, violation of the laws and customs of warfare, as well as terrorism, financing terrorism, forcible seizure of power, forcible retention of power and numerous other crimes as a result of Armenia's military aggression, was continued on February 11.

The hearings, presided over by Judge Zeynal Aghayev and a panel consisting of Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (reserve judge Gunel Samadova), were held at the Baku Military Court in the Baku Court Complex. Each of the accused was provided with an interpreter in the language of their choice, as well as defense lawyers.

The hearings were joined by some of the victims, their legal successors and representatives, prosecutors in charge of public prosecution, as well as the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers Executive Office, Rufat Mammadov, who represented the victim on behalf of the state of Azerbaijan.

The trial continued with the announcement of the conclusion part of the indictment by prosecutors in charge of public prosecution.

The court hearing saw the announcement of the indictment with regard to the Armenian state, the direct leadership and participation of its state bodies, military forces and illegal armed formations, the verbal and written instructions, orders and assignments, the provision of material and technical support, the central governance, as well as the exercise of rigorous control, with the aim of committing military aggression and acts of terror against the Republic of Azerbaijan in the territory of Azerbaijan in violation of domestic and international law, under the leadership and with direct and indirect participation of Armenian state, as well as Robert Sedraki Kocharyan, Serzh Azati Sargsyan, Vazgen Mikaeli Manukyan, Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan, Samvel Andraniki Babayan, Vitali Mikaeli Balasanyan, Zori Hayki Balayan, Seyran Mushegi Ohanyan, Arshavir Surenovich Garamyan, Monte Charles Melkonyan and others, including the extermination of the Azerbaijani population during a war of aggression waged by the said criminal group.

The Assistant to the Prosecutor General for Special Assignments, Tugay Rahimli, began reading out the part of the indictment related to the facts of the extermination of the population during the war of aggression.

It was stated that during the course of the war of aggression, the criminal organization, operating under the direct control of the Armenian state and in accordance with its instructions, orders, and assignments, masterminded the displacement of Azerbaijanis from their legally settled areas of Baghanis-Ayrim in Gazakh district, Malibayli-Gushchular in Shusha district, Garadaghli in Khojavand district, Bash Guney (Bash Guneypaya) in Aghdara district, Balligaya and Gulustan in Goranboy district, Aghdaban, Jomard and Bashlibel in Kalbajar district, and carried out large-scale and systematic attacks aimed at securing easier occupation of these territories by Armenia. In total, 241 people were intentionally killed by shooting, burning alive and inflicting severe bodily injuries, while 149 people were intentionally killed by inflicting various degrees of bodily injuries.

Then, the part of the indictment relating to the crime of terrorism committed during the war of aggression was read out.

The Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General, Vusal Aliyev, noted that as a result of the crime of terrorism committed in 308 episodes during the period 1988-2023, at least 449 people, including 210 military personnel and 239 civilians, were intentionally killed, while an attempt to kill a further 1,729 people was made, including 1,013 military personnel and 716 civilians.

In total, 17 children were intentionally killed as a result of the crime of terrorism, and an attempt was made to kill 53 children by inflicting bodily injuries of varying degree of severity on them.

Then public prosecutors Fuad Musayev, Vusal Abdullayev and Tarana Mammadova read out specific episodes of the crime of terrorism.

It was also noted that on January 9, 1991, a “UAZ-469” vehicle traveling in the direction of Shusha district was fired at, causing various bodily injuries, including bullet wounds, to driver Ivan Ivanovich Goyek, Soviet military personnel who were travelling as passengers in the vehicle, including the commander of the reconnaissance regiment of military unit No. 44682, Lt-Col Oleg Mikhailovich Larionov, the chief of staff of the Lachin military commandant’s office, Maj Igor Yuryevich Ivanov, and journalist of “Molodyozh Azerbaijana” newspaper Salatin Aziz gizi Asgarova, who was seconded to the area to perform her official duties. Four people were intentionally killed in the attack.

In addition, it was reported that on November 20, 1991, while a helicopter carrying state representatives of the Republic of Azerbaijan, observers from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan was flying at a low altitude over the territory of Garakand village of Khojavend district and was going to land, members of a criminal organization received information about this, opened intense fire at the helicopter using AK-74 machine guns and automatic weapons from a distance of approximately 300 meters and at an angle of 30 degrees, damaging it and knocking it out of control.

As a result, the helicopter crashed perpendicularly into the village road 5 kilometers east of the northern slope of the mountain, exploded and burned out, killing the former Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ismat Ismayil oglu Gayibov, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mahammad Nabi oglu Asadov, the State Secretary of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Tofig Kazim oglu Ismayilov, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Hajiyev Zulfu Saleh oglu, members of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Vagif Jafar oglu Jafarov and Vali Huseyn oglu Mammadov, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Sanlal Dosumovich Serikov, TV journalist Ali Mustafa oglu Mustafayev, cameraman Fakhraddin Ibrahim oglu Shahbazov, operator Arif Ismayil oglu Huseynzade, the First Deputy Minister of Land Reclamation and Water Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Gurban Huseyn oglu Namazaliyev, the Head of a Department at the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Osman Mirzahuseyn oglu Mirzayev, the Assistant to the Secretary of State of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Rafig Mammad oglu Mammadov, the Commandant of the State of Emergency Region, Nikolay Vladimirovich Zhinkin, Police Maj-Gen Mikhail Dmitriyevich Lukashov, Lt-Col Oleg Nikolayevich Kocherev, as well as the Head of the National Security Department for Nagorno-Karabakh, Sergey Semyonovich Ivanov, the Prosecutor of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Igor Aleksandrovich Plavskin, the Head of the Internal Affairs Department of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, Vladimir Vladimirovich Kovalyev, as well as three members of the helicopter flight crew - Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Kotov, Gennady Vladimirovich Dolgov and Dmitry Borisovich Yarovenko. All were intentionally killed, inflicting various serious bodily injuries on 22 people performing their official duties.

In addition, it was noted that on January 26, 2010, an investigator of the Fuzuli Military Prosecutor's Office, Araz Gabil oglu Hidayatov, who was performing his official duties, was killed when a “UAZ” vehicle with state license number 00-21 HP belonging to the Fuzuli Military Prosecutor's Office was fired at using automatic weapons in the territory of the village of Ashagi Abdurrahmanli in Fuzuli district of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

It was also announced that members of the criminal organization released an explosive device, a booby trap placed inside a dog-like toy into the Tovuz River. On July 14, 2011, minor Aygun Ziraddin gizi Shahmaliyeva, born on September 15, 1999, who was playing on the bank of the river passing through the village of Alibayli in Tovuz district that borders the Republic of Armenia, found the toy in question in the river. When she brought it home and placed it on the table, the explosion caused shrapnel to scatter around, killing Aygun Shahmaliyeva on the spot.

Then, Prosecutor Tarana Mammadova began to read out the terrorist crimes committed during the April battles of 2016, the Tovuz battles of 2020, and the Second Karabakh War.

It was reported that on April 2-6, 24, 26-28, and 30, 2016, shots were fired from large-caliber and other firearms, intentionally killing three civilians and causing bodily injuries of varying degree of severity to 13 others in Aghdam district, intentionally killing three civilians and causing bodily injuries of varying degree of severity to 11 others in Tartar district, intentionally killing four civilians in Goranboy district, killing one civilian in Fuzuli district, killing one civilian and causing bodily injuries of varying degree of severity to four others in Aghjabadi district, attempting to intentionally kill 30 civilians, as well as causing material damage in the amount of more than 2.4 million manats by completely or partially destroying, burning or damaging 733 privately owned buildings.

It was noted that on July 12-16, 17, 24 and 25, 2020, during a yet another stage in the war of aggression waged with a single intention, one civilian was intentionally killed in the village of Aghdam in Tovuz district by opening fire from large-caliber weapons and other firearms, material damage amounting to more than 594,000 manats was caused to private residential houses and farms belonging to a total of 69 civilians, including 11 people from the village of Aghdam in Tovuz district, 35 people from the village of Dondar Gushchu, four people from the village of Alibayli, four people from the village of Yukhari Oysuzlu, eight people from the village of Vahidli, one person from the village of Ashagi Oysuzlu, and six people from the village of Khanliglar in Gazakh district.

It was particularly emphasized that the Republic of Armenia, using the Russian-made “Smerch” multiple launch rocket system it had deployed in the engineering and fortification positions and transported from Armenia to the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the Russian-made “9K72”-“Elbrus” operational-tactical missile complex, which it had deployed on the conditional line of contact with the Republic of Azerbaijan in the territory of the Republic of Armenia, continuously opened intense fire and delivered rocket explosions to the city of Ganja from October 4 to 17, 2020, intentionally killing a total of 26 civilians and intentionally causing bodily injuries of varying degree of severity to 175 others.

In addition, from October 5 to November 7, 2020, a total of 29 civilians were intentionally killed and 103 civilians were intentionally injured to varying degrees in Barda district using “Grad” and “Smerch” multiple rocket launcher systems, as well as “Cluster” ballistic missiles, mortars and other large-caliber weapons.

In total, during the 44-day Patriotic War, more than 187 million manats of material damage were caused to state and private movable and immovable property in the cities of Ganja and Mingachevir, Tartar, Aghdam, Barda, Aghjabedi, Fuzuli, Goranboy (Naftalan), Beylagan, Jabrayil, Kurdamir, and Gabala districts.

Also, 25 episodes were read out with regard to the firing at helicopters that were transporting helpless people to Shusha, Garadaghli village of Khojavand district, Khojaly district and other areas with various weapons, the injury of pilots and passengers, as well as damage to helicopters, an attempt to blow up the section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Western Route Export Pipeline passing through Goranboy and Yevlakh districts, as well as other acts of terror.

The trial will continue on February 14.

We recall that 15 people, including Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan, Arkadi Arshaviri Ghukasyan, Bako Sahaki Sahakyan, Davit Rubeni Ishkhanyan, David Azatini Manukyan, Davit Klimi Babayan, Levon Henrikovich Mnatsakanyan, Vasili Ivani Beglaryan, Erik Roberti Ghazaryan, Davit Nelsoni Allahverdiyan, Gurgen Homeri Stepanyan, Levon Romiki Balayan, Madat Arakelovich Babayan, Garik Grigori Martirosyan, Melikset Vladimiri Pashayan, were charged under Articles 100 (planning, preparing, initiating and waging a war of aggression), 102 (attacking persons or organizations enjoying international protection), 103 (genocide), 105 (extermination of the population), 106 (enslaving), 107 (deportation or forced displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 110 (enforced disappearance of people), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114 (mercenary service), 115 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict), 118 (military robbery), 120 (intentional murder), 192 (illegal entrepreneurship), 214 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing terrorism), 218 (creation of a criminal association (organization)), 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation and possession of weapons, their components, ammunition, explosives and devices), 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security), 277 (assassination of a state official or public figure), 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279 (creation of armed formations and groups not provided for by law) and other articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.