Verdict announced in case of Ruben Vardanyan
Baku, February 17, AZERTAC
The court proceedings in the criminal case against Ruben Vardanyan, a citizen of Armenia charged under articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan related to crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other serious offenses, continued on February 17.
The open court hearing was held at the Baku Military Court under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with Judges Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov (reserve judge Gunel Samadova). The accused was provided with an interpreter in Russian and state-appointed defense counsel.
The session was attended by the accused and his defense counsel, several victims and their legal successors and representatives, prosecutors representing the state prosecution, as well as Rufat Mammadov, Head of the Cabinet of Ministers’ Apparatus, representing the Republic of Azerbaijan as a victim.
During the proceedings, which began on January 17 last year and lasted for more than a year, the final court decision (verdict) was announced.
It was stated that the charge brought under Article 228.3 of the Criminal Code was reclassified under Article 228.2.1 of the same Code. Additionally, Articles 279.1 and 279.2 were excluded from the indictment in numerical terms.
The court declared Ruben Karlenovich Vardanyan guilty of committing crimes stipulated by the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including planning, preparing, unleashing, and waging aggressive war; deportation and forcible displacement of the population; persecution; enforced disappearance; unlawful deprivation of liberty; torture; mercenarism; violations of the laws and customs of war; violations of international humanitarian law during armed conflict; intentional murder and attempted intentional murder; illegal entrepreneurship; terrorism and financing of terrorism; creation of a criminal organization; illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of firearms and explosives; acts threatening aviation safety; forcible seizure or retention of power and forcible change of the constitutional order; creation of armed formations not provided for by law; and illegal crossing of the state border.
The court sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment. The sentence will be served with the first 10 years in prison and the remainder in a strict-regime correctional facility.
It should be recalled that during the trial, prosecutors requested that the accused be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Ruben Vardanyan was found guilty under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan: Articles 100.1 and 100.2 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation or forcible displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 110 (forcible disappearance of persons), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114.1 (mercenarism), 115.2 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116.0.1, 116.0.2, 116.0.10, 116.0.11, 116.0.16, and 116.0.18 (violations of norms of international humanitarian law during an armed conflict), 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7, 120.2.11, and 120.2.12 (intentional murder), 29.120.2.1, 29.120.2.3, 29.120.2.4, 29.120.2.7, 29.120.2.11, and 29.120.2.12 (attempted intentional murder), 192.3.1 (illegal entrepreneurship), 214.2.1, 214.2.3, and 214.2.4 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 218.1 and 218.2 (creation of a criminal group), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of firearms, their components, ammunition, explosives, and explosive devices), 270-1.2 and 270-1.4 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278.1 (forcible seizure or retention of power, or forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279.1, 279.2, and 279.3 (creation of armed formations or groups not provided for by legislation), and 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan).
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