Baku, September 16, 2025
At the Baku Military Court, Armenian national Ruben Vardanyan asked judges to summon Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, members of the OSCE Minsk Group and ICRC representatives as witnesses in his war-crimes case.
Prosecutors argued the names were irrelevant to the indictment at this stage, and the panel declined to consider the request, noting the evidence order had already been set, Azertag informs..
The court also rejected Vardanyan’s motion to move the case out of the military court system, saying several charges constitute war crimes and therefore fall under military jurisdiction. Earlier, the bench confirmed the accused has a Russian-language interpreter and counsel of his choice; proceedings are chaired by Judge Zeynal Agayev with Judges Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov.
Vardanyan sought access to prior rulings on his earlier motions; the court said he has been and will be given opportunities to review them. A separate bid to question former commanders of Russia’s peacekeeping contingent was left without consideration for lack of relevance to the charges.
Monday’s hearing featured testimony from victims and legal heirs describing deaths and injuries in Kelbajar, Aghdara, Lachin, Khojaly and other sectors attributed to Armenian forces and illegal armed groups during past hostilities.
Vardanyan faces a sweeping indictment that includes crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism and financing of terrorism, creation of illegal armed groups, and unlawful border crossing, among others, under Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code.
The next hearing is set for September 23.
