Baku, February 14, 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 14.

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 into 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.

At the beginning of the hearings, the lawyers of the accused Arayik Harutyunyan and Erik Gazaryan asked the court to create conditions for a meeting in private with their defense lawyers.

The court granted the motions and announced a recess for the confidential meeting.

After the recess, the hearings continued with the prosecutors in charge of public prosecution reading out the concluding part of the indictment in the criminal case.

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 torture of Azerbaijani citizens captured and held hostage during the war of aggression waged by the aforementioned criminal group, the forced disappearance of people, the circumstances that made it inevitable to launch a local anti-terror operation by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the arrest of the accused and Armenia’s involvement of mercenaries in the war of aggression.

First, according to the indictment, public prosecutor Vusal Abdullayev noted the criminal episodes committed in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan after the signing of the Trilateral Statement on November 10, 2020, including the inevitable conduct of local anti-terror operations by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan in response to incessant attacks launched by the criminal organization on September 19, 2023 using artillery, mortars and other weapons in order to clear the sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan of terrorists and restore state sovereignty without targeting civilians of Armenian origin and civilian facilities.

Thus, from the morning of September 19, 2023, the territories liberated from occupation where extensive reconstruction and restoration work was underway, including the city of Shusha, were fired at from three directions using various types of mortars, cannons and artillery. One of the shells landed and exploded near Vidadi Aydin oglu Farhadov, a specialist of the Shusha City State Reserve Public Legal Entity, in Shusha city, and killed him.

In addition, on September 19, 2023, at around 03:45, Farhad Huseynaga oglu Guliyev, an employee of the Azerbaijan State Roads Agency, and the Agency’s driver Samir Sabirovich Sadikhov were intentionally killed by being exposed to an explosion of one of the anti-tank mines while carrying out repair and restoration work on the Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha road with equipment intended for road construction.

On that day, employees of the Rapid Police Regiment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, having received information about the employees of the Azerbaijan State Roads Agency being hit by a mine, were exposed to the explosion of another anti-tank mine 100 meters from the place where the first explosion occurred on the same road. As a result, the driver of the car, police officers of the said Regiment, Asim Knyaz oglu Jamalzadeh, Khazar Azer oglu Zamanov, Seymur Elsever oglu Mahmudov and Ramil Arif oglu Shirinov, received fatal injuries and were intentionally killed on the spot.

It was noted that as a result of local anti-terror operations, the city of Khankendi, Shusha, Khojaly, Khojavend, Aghdam, Kalbajar and Tartar districts, which are sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, were completely liberated from occupation on September 20, 2023. During the operation, a total of 205 servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan were intentionally killed and 1,004 servicemen were injured to varying degree of severity.

As a result of the local anti-terror operations, on October 3, 2023, Arayik Vladimiri (Vladimirovich) Harutyunyan was disarmed and detained in a private house in the city of Khankendi where he lived. During a search conducted in the courtyard of his house, AK-74 automatic weapons, 5,025 cartridges, which are considered to be ammunition, and other weapons and ammunition were discovered and seized.

Bako Sahaki Sahakyan was detained and disarmed on the same date in the territory of the city of Khankendi. During a search of his private residence, 14 pieces of a fragmentation “F-1” hand grenade, 2,611 cartridges suitable for firing, and other weapons and ammunition were found and seized.

Davit Rubeni Ishkhanyan was detained and disarmed on the same date in the territory of the city of Khankendi. During a search of the hotel located in the city of Khankendi, which he illegally owned, 481 cartridges intended for use in automatic weapons of AK-74, AKS-74, AKS-74U and others, four boxes that were part of a complete set of these automatic weapons were found and seized.

Davit Azati Manukyan was detained at the Lachin border checkpoint of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan on September 27, 2023. During a search of his residence, three boxes of AK-74 assault rifles, one CZ 75 Compact pistol and other weapons and ammunition were found and seized.

Davit Klimi Babayan was detained in the city of Khankendi on September 28, 2023, Lyova Henrikhi Mnatsakanyan was detained at the Lachin border checkpoint of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan on September 29, 2023, and Arkadi Arshaviri Ghukasyan was detained and disarmed in the city of Khankendi on October 3, 2023.

Also, Melikset Vladimiri Pashayan, Garik Grigori Martirosyan, Gurgen Homerosi Stepanyan and Davit Nelsoni Allahverdiyan were detained and disarmed in Daghdagan village of Khojaly district on September 20, 2023, Madat Arakeli Babayan in Gozlukorpu village of Aghdara district on September 20, 2023, Levon Romiki Balayan near the city of Shusha on September 20, 2023, Vasily Ivani Beglaryan in Kalbajar district on September 26, 2023, Erik Roberti Ghazaryan in Hasanriz village of Aghdara district on September 27, 2023. A large number of weapons, their components and ammunition, including anti-personnel mines, were found and seized from them.

Continuing the announcement of the concluding part of the indictment, public prosecutor Fuad Musayev listed the facts of enforced disappearance, captivity, hostage-taking and torture during the war of aggression.

It was emphasized that in 1988-2023, 122 out of 1,284 civilians taken hostage by applying more than a hundred different torture methods in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and its surrounding areas, and 48 out of 414 military personnel taken hostage, 170 out of a total of 1,698 prisoners of war and hostages were deliberately killed in places of their detention by applying torture and inhuman treatment, while the remaining 1,528 people were released in exchange for material benefits provided by the Azerbaijani state through international organizations, as well as through personal initiatives and connections of close relatives of prisoners of war and hostages.

Then public prosecutor Tarana Mammadova read out facts related to the use of mercenaries during the war of aggression.

It was noted that in order to prepare for the war of aggression, the terrorist organization “VoMa” established by Vladimir (Vova) Levanovich Vartanov, citizens of Armenian descent from France, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Russian Federation and other countries, as well as members of various terrorist organizations were provided with weapons and ammunition in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Illegal military training was conducted for them.

In addition, more than 2,000 foreign citizens, including members of the “ASALA” terrorist organization, the “PKK-PYD-YPG” terrorist organization, the “Zouaves Paris” (ZVP) group of the French Republic, the “Dashnaktsutyun” party, the “Black Panther” military group and other organizations, were provided with the opportunity to participate as more experienced fighters in the war of aggression launched against Azerbaijan, using the occupied Lachin corridor from the territory of the Republic of Armenia to Khankendi and Shusha cities, Kalbajar, Khojavend and other settlements of the Republic of Azerbaijan to participate in the military operations against Azerbaijan.

Speaking next, the Head of the Department for Public Prosecutions of the Prosecutor General's Office, Nasir Bayramov, read out facts of the continued aggression through the mining of territories and the explosion of mines during the ongoing war of aggression, stating that more than 1.1 million hectares of the occupied sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan had been contaminated with more than 1 million anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, as well as other unexploded ordnance.

Then, Assistant to the Prosecutor General for Special Assignments Tugay Rahimli listed the facts of the illegal settlement of civilians of Armenian origin in the occupied territories as a continuation of the war of aggression, the damage caused to the economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a result of the war of aggression, and the financing of terrorism in the occupied territories.

It was emphasized that during the period from May 1994 to September 2020, more than 23,000 civilians of Armenian origin resettled from the Republic of Armenia, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Lebanon, the Republic of Iraq and other states. Also, members and families of armed groups of terrorist organizations such as “ASALA” were brought and settled to the occupied territories, changing the ethnic composition of the territory, illegally and unjustifiably increasing the number of Armenians in the occupied territories.

In addition, it was noted that as a result of illegal economic activities carried out during 1992-2023, including income obtained through illegal exploitation of resources belonging to the Republic of Azerbaijan, the turnover in agriculture, the production of mineral raw materials, energy (hydropower) production, retail trade, public catering, industrial production and other areas of activity, as well as the illegal activities of “Frank Muller Group”, illegal caviar production and illegal financial transactions conducted by “Artsakhbank” Closed Joint-Stock Company, the total amount of material damage amounted to more than 20.9 billion manats, and the illegal income obtained was spent on financing terrorism.

Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev announced the criminal facts of damage to the ecology of the Republic of Azerbaijan during the war of aggression.

It was stated that as a result of the war of aggression against the Republic of Azerbaijan, material damage totaling more than 13.4 billion manats was caused to the ecology and nature of the Republic of Azerbaijan from the late 1980s to September 20, 2023 through the destruction of trees, bushes and other greenery in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, pollution of water resources, water basins and reservoirs, deliberate incapacitation of water resources, as well as destruction of agricultural lands.

It was noted that, given the large volume of the indictment, its announcement would be continued in the next hearings.

The trial will continue on February 18.

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.