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Akbar Novruz

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On July 7, Dargah Hagverdiyev, a resident of the Karkijahan settlement, testified before the Baku Military Court in an ongoing trial addressing war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories, Azernews reports.

Hagverdiyev stated: “Since 1987, ethnic Armenians living in the city of Khankendi have been pressuring the Azerbaijani population on the basis of national discrimination.” He specifically pointed to Robert Kocharyan, the former President of Armenia, as having been actively involved in fueling those discriminatory efforts.

The witness noted that after February 1988, Armenians began “openly expelling Azerbaijanis,” and by September of that year, “private houses of Azerbaijanis living in the city of Khankendi were burned.” He recalled that following an Armenian rally in the central square of Khankendi, “armed Armenians attacked the Karkijahan settlement and burned several houses.”

Hagverdiyev described how, beginning in 1991, the village was shelled using weapons and equipment from the 366th motorized rifle regiment stationed in Khankendi. On December 28, Armenian forces attacked and occupied Karkijahan. “At that time, all the houses belonging to Azerbaijanis were burned down,” he said.

Quoting further, he recalled the ethnic incitement and threats leading up to and during the occupation: “Before the occupation, they called and insulted us, saying, ‘Get out, go away, Garabagh should be annexed to Armenia, only Armenians should live here.’ When they attacked, they shouted that Azerbaijanis should leave… this is the territory of Armenia.”

Hagverdiyev also testified that villagers escaped through the forests to Shusha under difficult conditions. Prior to the occupation, the Karkijahan settlement had a population of 1,796 people and included 350 private residential houses, a secondary school, and other infrastructure belonging to Azerbaijanis.

This testimony is part of a broader judicial process against Armenian nationals accused of serious international crimes, including genocide, war crimes, terrorism, and violations of the laws and customs of war. The trial aims to bring accountability for the atrocities committed during Armenia's decades-long military aggression against Azerbaijan.