Baku, September 11, AZERTAC

The open court hearing in the criminal cases against citizens of the Republic of Armenia—Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others—who are accused of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, including the preparation and conduct of aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and customs of war, as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, forcible seizure of power, forcible retention of power, and numerous other crimes, stemming from Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan, continued on September 11.

The court session at the Baku Military Court, chaired by Judge Zeynal Agayev and composed of Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (with reserve judge Gunel Samadova), provided each accused person with an interpreter in their native language, as well as representatives for their defense.

The session was attended by the accused individuals, their defenders, a portion of the victims, their legal heirs and representatives, as well as prosecutors defending the state prosecution.

One of the presented documents pertains to the incident on March 24, 1990, when two rockets were fired from the village of Yerasx in Armenia's Ararat district toward Sadarak.

Subsequent documents relate to incidents in the village of Shada in the Shahbuz district where several people were injured, and the shelling of the villages of Qishlaq and others in the Tovuz district. The investigation established that, starting from 17:00 on March 27, 1990, from radars in Armenia's Shamshad district until 00:00, the villages of Qishlaq, Yukhari Hajalli, and Alibeyli in the Tovuz district were subjected to intense fire from firearms. During the incident, there were injuries among the civilian population.

Additionally, a document regarding the killing of Vali Zeynalov was presented. It was reported that on March 27-28, 1990, an attack was launched on the village of Garmachataq in the Babek district using various caliber weapons from Armenia, resulting in 10 houses being burned, and Vali Zeynalov, the head of the State Law Department of the Nakhchivan Provincial Committee, son of Mammad, being killed with automatic weapons.

Based on another presented document, on July 11, 1990, at the 93rd kilometer of the Barda-Istisu road near the village of Qozlukorpu in the Agdam district, a convoy of 16 vehicles came under fire from automatic weapons, resulting in one person killed and many others injured.

Other presented documents relate to the attack on Sadarak in March 1990, the capture of Aglarov Ashraf Salman oglu as a hostage in Shusha, the shelling of the village of Garmachataq in the Babek district on April 25 from enemy firearms resulting in injuries to various individuals, and the shelling of a vehicle convoy in the village of Badara in the Aghdam district on June 13, resulting in injuries.

As a result of the armed attack on the village of Goyalli in the Gadabay district, Nuriyev Ismayil Mustafa oglu, Nagiyev Madad Shamil oglu, and Orujov Ibrahim Shamil oglu were killed, and Ismayilov Ilham Tahir oglu was beaten and taken hostage to Armenia. He was held captive for 21 days.

Additionally, documents were presented regarding the killing of Azizov Donmaz Soltan oglu, Chobanov Shamo Mahaddin oglu, Asgarova Sahar Muslim qizi, and Aliyev Ilham Muzaffar oglu, the hostage-taking of Aliyev Eldar Shahmar oglu, and the injury of Talishov Razi Mehdi oglu.

On August 17, 1990, during the killing of Mehtiyev Fazil Ali oglu, two others, Hasanov Viktor Ali oglu and Eminov Kamaladdin Mustafa oglu, were injured. According to the documents, the injured individuals stated in their testimonies that the attackers were three bearded military personnel who spoke to each other in Armenian.

The next set of documents presented concerned the injuries sustained by Mustafayev Faqat Mirzali oglu, Mammadov Mammad Ali oglu, Guliyev Yunis Ali oglu, Garayev Ulfat Mansir oglu, Nagiyev Tanriverdi Abdulla oglu, Poladov Humbat Allahverdi oglu, Namazov Elchin Yolchu oglu, Aliyev Etibar Jabrayil oglu, and Rahimov Gunduz Samad oglu.

Another document detailed an armed attack on a “GAZ-52” vehicle. During the incident in Lachin, local residents, brothers Elman and Khanoglan Suleymanov, were killed, and their brother Elkhan Suleymanov was injured.

Other documents related to the explosion at the television and radio broadcasting facility in Khankendi on September 15, 1990; the bombing of a passenger train carriage at Khankendi railway station on October 14; the shelling of the village of Khojavand in the Khojavand district on September 11; the destruction of a bridge at the 57th kilometer of the Aghdam-Fuzuli road; the destruction of the Karchivan-Astazur-Nakhchivan stations; the killings of Aliyev Mohbali Niyaz oglu, Mammadov Rasim Khasay oglu, Mammadov Adil Hamza oglu, Javadov Ahmad Alish oglu, and Hajiyev Imamverdi Hasan oglu; and the hostage-taking of Mammadov Shakir Inglis oglu.

The next document presented concerned an incident on November 30, 1990, near Khankendi, where a bridge was blown up and a bus carrying members of the Azerbaijan Republic Ministry of Internal Affairs’ special purpose police unit, heading to Khojaly airport for duty, was fired upon. During the incident, junior sergeant Rafiq Yunusov was injured. According to the documents, the accused person, Babayan Samvel Andronikovich, stated in his testimony that the road the bus was traveling on was blown up by a group led by an Armenian nicknamed “Gago.”

On the same day, an assassination attempt was made on the lives of employees of the Khanlar (now Goygol) district internal affairs department. It was reported that during the incident, several sector inspectors performing their official duties were killed at the scene, several others sustained severe bodily injuries, and one person went missing.

The next document presented related to the hostage-taking on October 22 in the Asgaran district of the driver of a “UAZ” vehicle, Guliyev Elkhan Sevindik oglu, and passengers Hajiyeva Galamzar Alakbar qizi and her 12-year-old son, Hajiyev Elshan Ibrahim oglu.

Documents concerning the killing of Asgarova Salatin Aziz qizi and others were also presented. It was stated that on January 9, 1991, Salatin Asgarova, a correspondent for the newspaper “Molodyoj Azerbaydjana,” along with Soviet army servicemen—Lieutenant Colonel Larionov Oleg Mikhailovich, Chief of Staff of the Lachin district military command, Major Ivanov Igor Mikhailovich, and Sergeant Goyek Ivan Ivanovich—were traveling in a “UAZ-469” vehicle (license plate 30-14NB, driven by Ivan Goyek) when it was fired upon by Armenians while crossing a bridge at the 141st kilometer of the Yevlakh-Lachin road. All the named individuals were deliberately killed during the incident.

The court proceedings will continue on September 12.

Fifteen defendants of Armenian origin are accused in the criminal case concerning numerous crimes committed during the aggressive war waged by the Armenian state - including the aforementioned criminal association - on the territory of Azerbaijan, in violation of domestic and international legal norms. These crimes were committed for the purpose of military aggression against Azerbaijan and were carried out under the direct leadership and participation of the Armenian state, officials of its state institutions, its armed forces, and illegal armed formations, through their written and verbal orders, instructions, and guidelines; material, technical, and personnel support; centralized management; as well as under strict control and under the leadership and direct or indirect participation of Robert Sedraki Kocharyan, Serzh Azati Sargsyan, Vazgen Mikaeli Manukyan, Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan, Samvel Andraniki Babayan, Vitali Mikaeli Balasanyan, Zori Hayki Balayan, Seyran Musheghi Ohanyan, Arshavir Surenovich Garamyan, Monte Charles Melkonyan, and others.

The following individuals - 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, and Melikset Vladimiri Pashayan - are being charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan: Article 100 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression); Article 102 (attacking persons or organizations enjoying international protection); Article 103 (genocide); Article 105 (extermination of the population); Article 106 (enslavement); Article 107 (deportation or forced displacement of population); Article 109 (persecution); Article 110 (enforced disappearance of persons); Article 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law); Article 113 (torture); Article 114 (mercenary service); Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare); Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict); Article 118 (military robbery); Article 120 (intentional murder); Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship); Article 214 (terrorism); Article 214-1 (financing terrorism); Article 218 (creation of a criminal organization); Article 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and devices); Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security); Article 277 (assassination of a state official or public figure); Article 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state); Article 279 (creation of armed groups not provided for by law); and additional articles.