Azernews.Az

Akbar Novruz

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New evidence presented at the Baku Military Court has shed light on Armenia’s large-scale recruitment of foreign mercenaries during the 44-day war, Azernews reports.

The court heard excerpts from classified letters submitted by several Azerbaijani state agencies as part of the ongoing criminal case against Armenian citizens accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

A document dated October 24, 2020, revealed that Armenia made extensive efforts to recruit foreign citizens into its armed forces in the then-occupied territories of Azerbaijan to compensate for battlefield losses. The Armenian government and diaspora organizations abroad reportedly urged members of the Armenian community to take part in combat, organized special ticket sales campaigns, and established assembly points in various countries.

As a result, foreign terrorist fighters from France, the United States, Syria, Russia, and other countries were brought into military operations on Azerbaijani territory. The proceedings also noted the participation of the Yerevan-based military training center “VoMA,” the ASALA terrorist organization, and other extremist groups.

One of the identified mercenaries, Artur Hovhannisyan from Marseille, France, reportedly took part in fighting in the Hadrut and Jabrayil regions of Azerbaijan as part of the Armenian armed forces during the war. Another document revealed that a criminal case has been launched against Gilbert Minasyan, a member of ASALA, and 15 individuals with military experience who engaged in illegal actions in Azerbaijani territory.

The court also cited evidence showing that mercenaries from Syria, Russia, Spain, Canada, France, Greece, Lebanon, and countries across the Middle East and Latin America, as well as members of various terrorist organizations, took part in operations against the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Initially invited to train Armenian troops in sabotage and reconnaissance tactics, many of these fighters were later deployed directly to combat zones.

The trial continues for Armenian citizens accused of a wide range of grave offenses — including crimes against peace and humanity, terrorism, the financing of terrorism, genocide, and violations of the laws and customs of war — committed during Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan.