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The open court hearing session for criminal cases against citizens of the Republic of Armenia, including Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanian, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others, who are accused of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes—including the preparation and conduct of aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and customs of war—as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, forcible seizure of power, forcible retention of power, and numerous other crimes resulting from Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan, continued on October 20.

The court session was held at the Baku Military Court, chaired by Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with the panel consisting of Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (reserve judge Gunel Samadova). Each accused individual was provided with an interpreter in their native language, as well as legal representatives for their defense.

The session was attended by the accused persons, their defenders, a portion of the victims, their legal heirs and representatives, as well as prosecutors defending the state prosecution.

First, the accused Davit Ishkhanyan requested that two additional materials be examined as evidence in the court proceedings.

Presiding judge Zeynal Aghayev noted that if the above-mentioned materials are presented to the court by the accused himself or his defense attorney, they will be considered for examination as evidence.

D. Ishkhanyan mentioned that he would like to meet with his defense attorney confidentially during the break to discuss this issue, to which the presiding judge agreed.

Accused David Babayan also requested that the court add documents related to several incidents to the criminal case and examine them as evidence.

The presiding judge briefed the accused that the issue of examination would be considered after the documents related to the said incidents were presented to the court.

Accused Arkady Ghukasyan made a statement, expressing his views regarding the examined documents, as well as his disagreement with some of the examined documents and the specifics stated therein.

Then, the statements of the victims who could not attend the court session for compelling reasons and who appealed to the court in this regard were announced.

According to the statement, the victim, Shakir Albaliyev, stated that he was called up for military service in June 1992. His house and property were located in the village of Dagh Tumas in the Jabrayil district. On August 25, 1993, the Armenian armed forces surrounded the battalion where he served and opened heavy fire. At that time, the Armenian armed forces occupied and burned down a number of villages in the Jabrayil district, including the village of Dagh Tumas, where he lived, and the village of Pirasa,d where his parents lived.

While he was with Mushvig, Almammad, Mazahir Mammadov, Mazahir Jabrayilov and several other people whose names he could not remember in the village of Dag Tumas, they saw the bodies of Aliyev Mahammad Hummet oglu and an old woman named Banovsha shot by Armenian armed forces in front of their houses.

Sh. Albaliyev was captured by Armenian armed forces on August 26 near the village of Sofulu in the Jabrayil district. While in captivity, he was subjected to beatings and severe torture. He escaped from captivity on August 28, 1993.

According to the published statement of victim Elshan Nuhiyev, on July 2, 1993, while he was at his grandfather's house in the village of Gorazilli in the Fuzuli district, his father Arif, his mother Makhmar, his brother Rovshan, his uncle Vagif, his uncle's wife Raisa, his daughters Sevil, Sevda, his uncle Balay, his uncle's wife Raisa, his uncle Marks, and their grandmothers Tamasha and Maya were taken hostage by the Armenian armed forces and taken to the Khojavend district, and consequently to the children's hospital in the city of Khankendi. On that day, his father Arif, his uncle, Vagif, Balay, and his uncle, Marks, were separated from them and taken to the Shusha prison. In addition to them, various people from Lachin, Absheron, and Kalbajar districts were also detained in the city of Khankendi.

Additionally, they were subjected to various types of torture by a guard named Kamo, as well as other Armenian guards, in the children's hospital in Khankendi. Having been held there for 4 months and 5 days, they were released from captivity in the Garvand village of the Aghdam district in early November 1993.

About a month later, his mother, Makhmar, was released. His father, Arif, was released before them. He learned from his father that his uncle Vagif was constantly beaten while in captivity and died of severe torture.

According to another statement announced, Mehriban Karimova, who was interrogated as the legal heir of the victim, claimed that on April 8, 1992, the Armenian armed forces attacked the village of Aghdaban in the Kalbajar district, where she lived, intentionally killing numerous people and causing various serious bodily injuries to several people. She, along with her father, Sovet Karimov, Azerbaijani language and literature teacher Sevinj Guliyeva, as well as the children of the latter, Zulfiya Guliyeva and Samir Guliyev, were captured, with her mother Gamar being shot to death by the assault rifle the same day.

The Armenian soldiers burned down the residential houses in the village, regardless of whether they were inhabited, and shot and killed the peaceful residents they saw along the road.

The victim said she had witnessed this brutality with her father and had seen her fellow villagers being brutally murdered before her eyes.

M.Karimova also witnessed the Armenian soldiers plundering the houses, looting the valuables and cattle along the way.

She further claimed that they were taken to the house, belonging to an old woman, located in the village center. While entering the house, they had witnessed a 6-year-old girl named Ulviyya lying on the floor. Ulviyya was shot to death along with her father, Jamal, by the Armenian fire.

Additionally, a villager named Tural was taken to a haystack with his hands tied. The Armenians then shot him to the back with an assault rifle, then set the haystack on fire and threw Tural into the flames, as he burned to death.

She later learned that the Armenians murdered Tural’s mother by shooting her in the mouth.

Karimova further emphasized that during the attack, the Armenians killed Gurbanov Gulu Shaber oglu, a nephew of her uncle Ashigh Shamshir, by burning him alive. Moreover, Ashigh Shamshir’s remaining relatives, namely Bakir, Zeynab, Gulu, Gara, and others, were also killed by Armenians, with some of them being burned in their house.

Mehriban Karimova was released from captivity a month later.

Sakit Feyzullayev, the legal heir of the victim Bahram Ibrahimov, said that on October 7, 2020, he heard the news that his son had been martyred in the battles in the direction of the Sugovushan village of Tartar district.

Mahir Mahmudov, the legal heir of the victim Murad Mahmudov, claimed that his son was martyred on October 10, 2020, as a result of sniper fire opened by the Armenian armed forces during the battles in the direction of the Sugovushan village of the Tartar district.

Victims Vugar Suleymanov, Taleh Nabiyev, Tajaddin Karimov, Aykhan Jamalzada, Vurghun Abilov, Faig Safarov noted they were injured as a result of landmine and other substances’ explosions occurred in different times.

The court proceedings also heard testimonies of Nabat Baghirova, Salmina Aliyeva, Mahammad Mahmudov, Hikmat Abdullayev, Valeh Hasanov, Rafail Bayramov, Samir Alizada, Zamaddin Hasanov, Ali Aghalorov, Azer Mammodov, Ziyaddin Mirzayev, Fuad Ibrahimli, Dayanat Aliyev, Dilgam Safarov, Ilgar Farajov, Urfan Azizov, Yunis Guliyev, Vahid Dadashov, Jeyhun Rzaguliyev, Ibrahim Aliyev, Nijar Alizada, Sadig Ahmadov, Nazir Imranzada, Isag Damirov, Nihad Guliyev, and other victims.

The court proceedings will continue on October 23.

Fifteen defendants of Armenian origin are accused in the criminal case concerning numerous crimes committed during the aggressive war waged by the Armenian state, including the aforementioned criminal association, on the territory of Azerbaijan, in violation of domestic and international legal norms. These crimes were committed for the purpose of military aggression against Azerbaijan and were carried out under the direct leadership and participation of the Armenian state, officials of its state institutions, its armed forces, and illegal armed formations, through their written and verbal orders, instructions, and guidelines; material, technical, and personnel support; centralized management; as well as under strict control and under the leadership and direct or indirect participation of Robert Sedraki Kocharyan, Serzh Azati Sargsyan, Vazgen Mikaeli Manukyan, Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan, Samvel Andraniki Babayan, Vitali Mikaeli Balasanyan, Zori Hayki Balayan, Seyran Musheghi Ohanyan, Arshavir Surenovich Garamyan, Monte Charles Melkonyan, and others.

The following individuals - Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan, Arkadi Arshaviri Ghukasyan, Bako Sahaki Sahakyan, Davit Rubeni Ishkhanyan, David Azatini Manukyan, David Klimi Babayan, Levon Henrikovich Mnatsakanyan, Vasili Ivani Beglaryan, Erik Roberti Ghazaryan, Davit Nelsoni Allahverdiyan, Gurgen Homeri Stepanyan, Levon Romiki Balayan, Madat Arakelovich Babayan, Garik Grigori Martirosyan, and Melikset Vladimiri Pashayan - are being charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan: Article 100 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression); Article 102 (attacking persons or organizations enjoying international protection); Article 103 (genocide); Article 105 (extermination of the population); Article 106 (enslavement); Article 107 (deportation or forced displacement of population); Article 109 (persecution); Article 110 (enforced disappearance of persons); Article 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law); Article 113 (torture); Article 114 (mercenary service); Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare); Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict); Article 118 (military robbery); Article 120 (intentional murder); Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship); Article 214 (terrorism); Article 214-1 (financing terrorism); Article 218 (creation of a criminal organization); Article 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and devices); Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security); Article 277 (assassination of a state official or public figure); Article 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state); Article 279 (creation of armed groups not provided for by law); and additional articles.