Baku, February 7, AZERTAC

On February 7, a preparatory session of the court proceedings began against the citizens of the Republic of Armenia accused of committing crimes against peace and humanity as a result of the Armenian aggression, war crimes—including the planning and conduct of an aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war—as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, violent seizure and retention of power, and numerous other crimes. Among the accused are Araik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Davit Babayan, Lyova Mnatsakanyan, and others.

The trial is held at the Baku Military Court within the Baku Court Complex, presided over by Judge Zeynal Agayev, with Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (reserve judge Gunel Samadova) also on the panel. The defendants have been provided with interpreters in the language they have chosen to use, as well as defense attorneys.

The court hearing was attended by the victims, their legal heirs and representatives, prosecutors supporting the state prosecution, as well as the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers' Office, Rufat Mammadov, representing the government of Azerbaijan.

The prosecutor, defending the state accusation, began reading out the concluding part of the indictment.

The prosecutors announced the criminal acts related to the occupation of the sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a result of aggressive war launched by the criminal organization created with the direct involvement, instructions, and guidance of the Armenian state and its armed forces, as well as with material, technical, and personnel support, centralized command, and strict control, under the leadership of Robert Sedraki Kocharyan, Serj Azati Sargsyan, Vazgen Mikhail Manukyan, Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan, Samvel Andraniki Babayan, Vitaly Mikael Balasanyan, Zori Hayki Balayan, Seyran Musheki Ohanyan, Arshavir Surenovich Karamyan, Monte Charles Melkonian, and others with their direct and indirect involvement, with the goal of military aggression against Azerbaijan on its territory.

Prosecutor Tarana Mammadova announced that as a result of the aggressive war waged by the Armenian armed forces and illegal armed formations, 12 cities, 18 settlements, 895 villages, and a total of 925 settlements, which are sovereign territories of Azerbaijan, were occupied and remained under occupation for many years. This led to material damage exceeding 19 billion manats across 37,168 private and public properties.

Prosecutor Fuad Musayev stated that the occupation of the city of Khankendi and its Karkijahan settlement led to the expulsion of 2,944 civilians, causing more than 636 million manats worth of material damage to a total of 4,579 private and public properties.

The occupation of the village of Karki of the Sharur district of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (currently the village of Karki of the Sadarak district), resulted in the displacement of 461 civilians, causing over 7 million manats worth of material damage to 54 private and public properties.

The occupation of 7 villages of the Gazakh district - Baghanis-Ayrim, Ashagi Eskipara, Kheyrimli, Barkhudarly, Sofulu, Gizilhajily, Yukhari Eskipara, led to the expulsion of 3,159 civilians, causing over 137 million manats worth of material damage to 896 private and public properties.

The occupation of the Khojaly district, which includes the city of Khojaly and the settlement of Asgaran, comprising a total of 50 villages, resulted over 103 million manats worth of material damage to a total of 1,067 private properties of 7,161 civilians and public properties.

Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev emphasized the occupation of Shusha city, Turshsu settlement and Shusha district comprising 37 villages, led to the displacement of 16,299 civilians, causing over 391 million manats worth of material damage to 2,769 private and public properties.

The occupation of Khojavand city, 2 settlements (Girmizi Bazar and Hadrut settlements) and Khojavand district comprising 80 villages, resulted in the forced displacement of 7,451 Azerbaijani citizens, causing more than 340 million manats worth of material damage to a total of 2,607 private and public properties.

The occupation of Lachin city, Gayghi settlement and Lachin district, comprising 124 villages, led to the forced expulsion of 57,047 residents, causing over 2.7 billion manats worth of material damage to a total of 15, 459 private and properties.

The occupation of Kalbajar city, Istisu settlement and Kalbajar district, comprising 147 villages, resulted in the displacement of 48,847 civilians, causing over 2.2 billion manats worth of material damage to a total of 17,489 private and public properties.

Assistant to the Prosecutor General for Special Assignments Tuqay Rahimli underlined that the occupation of a number of villages and settlements in Tartar district, led to the expulsion of 899 civilians, causing over 155 million manats worth of material damage to a total of 1,127 private and public properties.

The occupation of a large part of the Aghdam district, resulted in the displacement of 100,574 civilians, causing over 3.7 billion manats worth of material damage to a total of 31,736 private and public properties.

The occupation of a large part of the Fuzuli district led to the expulsion of 83,544 civilians, causing over 3.4 billion manats worth of material damage to a total of 22,635 private and public properties.

The occupation of the city of Jabrayil, the settlements of Khalafli, Khudafarin, Gumlag and Mahmudlu, and the Jabrayil district, comprising 92 villages resulted in the displacement of 52,141 civilians, causing over 2.1 billion manats worth of material damage to a total of 15,206 private and public properties.

Nasir Bayramov, Head of the Department for the maintenance of public prosecution of the Prosecutor General’s Office, underscored that the occupation of the city of Zangilan, and the Zangilan district, comprising 5 settlements and 79 villages, led to the expulsion of 32,775 civilians, causing over 1.3 billion manats worth of material damage to a total of 9,679 private and public properties.

The occupation of the city of Gubadli and the Gubadli district, comprising 93 villages, resulted in the displacement of 29,539 civilians, causing more than 1.8 billion manats worth of material damage to a total of 10,159 private and public properties.

Furthermore, the indictment stated that as a result of the aggressive war, at least 697 historical and cultural monuments belonging to the cultural heritage of the Republic of Azerbaijan were turned into targets of attack, used to support military operations, deliberately set on fire on a large scale, shelled and blown up with artillery, and partially or completely destroyed through other physical means. Additionally, acts of theft, looting, and vandalism were committed, causing material damage exceeding 906 million manats to the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people.

Additionally, taking into account the funds spent on the social welfare and living conditions of displaced civilians, the total material damage to the Azerbaijani state due to the occupation of its sovereign territories exceeds 8.8 billion manats.

Then state prosecutor Vusal Abdullayev began to announce the facts of the genocide committed against the Azerbaijani people during the aggressive war, as well as the complete or partial destruction of the population without the signs of genocide.

It was noted that armed attacks were carried out against Khojaly district and surrounding settlements with the intent to annihilate the Azerbaijani population on the grounds of their ethnic identity. During the Khojaly genocide, acts of extreme brutality, including the killing of civilians, infliction of severe physical and mental harm, scalping, mutilation (such as cutting off ears, noses, and genital organs), gouging out of eyes, burning people alive, and other atrocities were committed. The indictment also stated that some of these crimes were carried out over the graves of neutralized Armenian militants, with their heads cut off as ritualistic acts. No distinction was made between women, the elderly, or children, resulting in the deliberate killing of 613 people.

The trial will continue on February 11.

15 persons accused in the crimes committed by Armenian state and its Armed Forces, as well as the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" established in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan and its illegal armed groups - Harutyunyan Arayik Vladimiri, Ghukasyan Arkadi Arshaviri, Sahakyan Bako Sahaki, Ishkhanyan Davit Rubeni, Manukyan Davit Azati, Babayan Davit Klimi, Mnatsakanyan Levon Henrikovich, Beglaryan Vasili Ivani, Ghazaryan Erik Roberti, Allahverdyan Davit Nelsoni, Stepanyan Gurgen Homerosi, Balayan Levon Romiki, Babayan Madat Arakelovich, Martirosyan Garik Grigori, and Pashayan Melikset Vladimiri have been charged as accused persons under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan: Article 100 (planning, preparing, initiating, or waging an aggressive war), Article 102 (attacks on internationally protected persons or organizations), Article 103 (genocide), Article 105 (extermination of population), Article 106 (slavery), Article 107 (deportation or forcible transfer of population), Article 109 (persecution), Article 110 (enforced disappearance of persons through violence), Article 112 (unlawful deprivation of liberty in violation of international law), Article 113 (torture), Article 114 (mercenarism), Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of war), Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict), Article 118 (war looting), Article 120 (premeditated murder), Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship), Article 214 (terrorism), Article 214-1 (financing of terrorism), Article 218 (establishment of a criminal organization), Article 228 (illegal purchase, transfer, selling, storage, transportation and carrying of fire-arms, accessories to it, supplies, explosives), Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security), Article 277 (attempt on the life of a state or public figure), Article 278 (violent seizure of power or violent deduction of power, violent change of the constitutional system of the state), Article 279 (creation of armed formations or groups, which are not provided by the legislation) and other articles.