Azernews.Az

As a result of Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan, open-court hearings continued on October 9 in the criminal cases concerning citizens of the Republic of Armenia — Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others — accused of committing numerous crimes, including crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, preparation and conduct of an aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war, as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, violent seizure and retention of power, and other offenses.

According to Azernews, the hearing was held at the Baku Military Court under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Agayev, with Judges Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (reserve judge Gunel Samedova) also presiding. Each of the accused was provided with interpreters in their native language and defense lawyers.

The session was attended by the defendants, their lawyers, some of the victims, their legal successors and representatives, as well as prosecutors representing the state.

At the beginning of the hearing, documents regarding mercenary fighters involved in military operations were announced.

Documents received from various Azerbaijani state bodies were read out, and relevant photographs were displayed.

According to a document dated October 24, 2020, during the 44-day Patriotic War, Armenia made significant efforts to compensate for its battlefield losses by recruiting foreign citizens into its armed forces operating in the occupied sovereign territories of Azerbaijan.

In particular, the Armenian government and Armenian diaspora organizations in third countries issued urgent calls for members of the Armenian community to join the fighting in those occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Special ticket sales campaigns were organized abroad, and recruitment centers were established. As a result, foreign fighters from France, the United States, Syria, the Russian Federation, and other countries participated in combat operations in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories. Terrorist organizations such as “VoMA” (a military training center based in Yerevan), ASALA, and others were also involved in the fighting.

According to another document, the “VoMA” organization was founded by Vladimir Vartanov, a close associate of former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, as well as a friend of Alek Yenigomshyan, an active member of the ASALA terrorist organization.

The organization’s military training sessions were held in the Jermuk and Dilijan regions of Armenia during winter, and in the mountainous areas of Keşdək village of Kalbajar (formerly occupied by Armenia) and Bjni village in Armenia during summer.

Military trainings were conducted by Armenian citizens Vardan Enokyan, Samvel Galstyan, Bagrat Beglaryan, Artak Bagratyan, Levon Gevorgyan, Badal Safaryan, Gor Melkonyan, Garegin Bagdyan, and Spartak Hovanesyan.

The group’s head was Gevorg Grigoryan; Edgar Arshakyan was responsible for accommodation, Gosh Galstyan for food, and the chief instructor was Vaginak Vartanov, son of Vladimir Vartanov.

Coordination of “VoMA” activities with Armenians living in Russia was carried out by Gayane Arturovna Tananyan, an honorary member of the Russian branch of the “Yerkrapa” organization and a citizen of the Russian Federation.

Funding for “VoMA” was mainly provided by donations from Russia, the United States, France, Austria, and Lebanon, as well as financial contributions from Armenian businessmen and membership fees paid by participants.

Another document stated that “VoMA” leader Vladimir Vartanov was born in Yerevan in 1965, served as an advisor to former Armenian Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsyan in 1992, and supports the ideology of Nazi collaborator Garegin Nzhdeh, which emphasizes the “necessity of self-defense.”

It was noted that beginning on September 27, 2020, during the battles in the Sugovushan direction, citizens of Lebanon, France, and the United States fought on the side of the Armenian armed forces.

A “volunteer” detachment of foreign fighters was led by a Lebanese citizen known as “Baron Norik.” Among the group were two individuals named Hakop — one from Lebanon and one from the United States.

A French citizen, Gilbert Minasyan, who had ties to ASALA, admitted that he had sent 15 ethnic Armenian citizens of France to fight in Azerbaijan’s formerly occupied territories. Foreign citizens Artur Oganisyan (France), Stefan Keshishyan (Syria), Gevorg Khachyan (Lebanon), Armen Knyazyan (Spain), Arushan Badasyan (United States) and others also participated voluntarily in the fighting against Azerbaijan.

According to the announced document, Armen Knyazyan was a friend of Arayik Harutyunyan and had also fought in the April 2016 battles.

It was further stated that Armen Artavazdi Knyazyan, born in 1974, had moved to Germany for work, then relocated with his family to Spain, where he obtained citizenship. He owned three restaurants named El Italiano Giorgio in Lloret de Mar (Girona). When the Patriotic War began in 2020, he and his cousins Sarkis and Norik came to Azerbaijan’s occupied territories and took part in combat operations as part of the Armenian armed forces. After his death, he was posthumously awarded the title of “hero” by the illegal regime.

It was also mentioned that Artur Oganisyan, who came from Marseille, France, participated in combat operations conducted by the Armenian armed forces in the Hadrut and Jabrayil regions of Azerbaijan during the 2020 Patriotic War.

According to another document, during the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, mercenaries and members of terrorist organizations from Syria, Russia, Spain, Canada, France, Greece, Lebanon, and countries of the Middle East and Latin America fought alongside Armenian armed forces against the Azerbaijani army.

Initially, such mercenaries were invited to train Armenian military personnel in reconnaissance, sabotage, terrorism, and demolition, but later they were directly engaged in combat operations.

The court also reviewed documents concerning the shelling of civilian settlements in Tovuz and Gazakh districts in July 2020, the killing of five people in a GAZ-53 truck on August 27, 1992 in Gulustan village of Goranboy district, the shooting of Azerbaijani civilians in the same village on September 19, 1992, and the murders of Aynur Yagubova (daughter of Hashtarkhan), Firdovsi Aslanov (son of Bayram), Kamran Aslanov (son of Ramiz), and other victims on June 26, 1993.

The court hearing will continue on October 10.

It should be noted that 15 defendants are charged in the criminal case concerning numerous crimes committed during the course of the aggressive war waged by the Armenian state and its criminal organizations, under the direct leadership and participation of Armenian officials and military personnel — including Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan, Vazgen Manukyan, Vazgen Sargsyan, Samvel Babayan, Vitali Balasanyan, Zori Balayan, Seyran Ohanyan, Arshavir Qaramyan, and Monte Melkonian — and with financial, technical, and personnel support provided under their centralized command and supervision.

The defendants Arayik Vladimirovich Harutyunyan, Arkadi Arshavirovich Ghukasyan, Bako Sahaki Sahakyan, Davit Ruben Ishkhanyan, David Azat Manukyan, David Klim Babayan, Levon Henrikovich Mnatsakanyan, Vasili Ivani Beglaryan, Erik Robert Ghazaryan, Davit Nelson Allahverdyan, Gurgen Homer Stepanyan, Levon Romik Balayan, Madat Arakelovich Babayan, Garik Grigori Martirosyan, and Melikset Vladimirovich Pashayan are charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan:

Article 100 (planning, preparation, initiation, and conduct of an aggressive war),

Article 102 (attacks against persons or organizations enjoying international protection),

Article 103 (genocide),

Article 105 (extermination of population),

Article 106 (enslavement),

Article 107 (deportation or forced displacement of population),

Article 109 (persecution),

Article 110 (enforced disappearance of persons),

Article 112 (unlawful deprivation of liberty in violation of international law),

Article 113 (torture),

Article 114 (mercenarism),

Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of war),

Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict),

Article 118 (military looting),

Article 120 (intentional homicide),

Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship),

Article 214 (terrorism),

Article 214-1 (financing of terrorism),

Article 218 (creation of a criminal organization),

Article 228 (illegal acquisition, possession, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, or carrying of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and explosive devices),

Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation safety),

Article 277 (attempt on the life of a state or public figure),

Article 278 (violent seizure or retention of power and forcible change of the constitutional order),

Article 279 (creation of illegal armed groups or formations), and other relevant provisions of the Criminal Code.