Azerbaijan’s military court in Baku continued hearings in the high-profile criminal case against former leaders and officials of the self-proclaimed separatist entity previously operating in the Karabakh region.
The defendants – including Araik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Babayan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan and others – stand accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, terrorism, and the planning and waging of an aggressive war against Azerbaijan.
All defendants were provided with interpreters and defense lawyers. Representatives of victims, successor claimants, and prosecutors supporting the state indictment also attended.
Prosecutors: UN Security Council Resolutions Confirm Aggression
Delivering the prosecution’s address, senior officials from the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office argued that UN Security Council Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 confirm the occupation of sovereign Azerbaijani territories as a result of Armenia’s military aggression.
Prosecutor Tugay Rahimli stated that Armenia’s aggression “did not cease” even during periods without active hostilities, pointing to repeated violations of ceasefire agreements and continued attacks on Azerbaijani military personnel, civilians, civilian infrastructure, religious and medical facilities, and strategic sites – including the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipeline.
Forced Population Transfers Cited as Evidence of State Policy
The prosecution emphasized that torture, unlawful detention, and forced population transfers were systematic and widespread, arguing that these acts reflected state-level policy.
According to the prosecution, defendants Harutyunyan, Ghukasyan and Sahakyan acknowledged in their testimony that Armenians had been resettled from Armenia into occupied Azerbaijani districts, notably Lachin – conduct criminalized under Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions. These claims, prosecutors added, were corroborated by letters, archival materials, and documents from Armenian sources reviewed by the court.
Attacks on Major Azerbaijani Cities
The prosecution reiterated that aggression targeted not only the Azerbaijani military but also major urban centers including Ganja, Barda, Aghjabadi, Yevlakh, Mingachevir, Zardab, Kurdamir, Qabala and other districts.
Prosecutors Seek Life Sentences for Several Defendants
After presenting the factual and legal basis for the charges, prosecutors outlined proposed sentences for each defendant. The prosecution requested life imprisonment for several key figures – including Araik Harutyunyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Davit Manukyan and Davit Ishkhanyan – for crimes such as genocide, aggressive war, intentional killings, torture, forced displacement, terrorism, and the creation of illegal armed groups.
For other defendants, prosecutors requested long prison terms ranging from 16 to 20 years, with the first 10 years served in a high-security prison. Prosecutors also noted that, under Azerbaijani law, defendants who reached the age of 65 by the time of sentencing cannot be given life imprisonment.
A motion was also submitted regarding the disposition of physical evidence under the Criminal Procedure Code.
Victims’ Representatives Support the Prosecution
Representatives of victims stated that the charges were convincingly supported by a year of judicial inquiry, including witness testimony, expert reports, documentary evidence and material exhibits. They urged the court to issue verdicts aligned with the prosecution’s recommendations.
Next Hearing Scheduled for November 27
The trial will resume on November 27.
Background
A total of 15 individuals of Armenian origin face charges related to the decades-long aggression against Azerbaijan, alleged crimes committed during the occupation, and the actions of armed groups operating under the direction and support of top Armenian political and military leaders, including Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan, Vazgen Manukyan, Vazgen Sargsyan, Samvel Babayan and others.
