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Two Armenians apologize in court for torturing Azerbaijani captives during first Karabakh war

2 August 2021 14:28 (UTC+04:00)
Two Armenians apologize in court for torturing Azerbaijani captives during first Karabakh war

By Trend

The trial on the criminal case of Armenian militants Ludwig Mkrtichyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan, who tortured Azerbaijani captives and committed other crimes during the first Karabakh war (in 1990s), continues in Baku on August 2, Trend reports.

The court process is being held in the administrative building of the Yasamal District Court under the chairmanship of Baku Military Court Judge Elbay Allahverdiyev.

At the trial, the lawyers of the accused persons delivered a speech and the accused had the final say.

Mkrtichyan and Khosrovyan said they were treated very well during the trials.

"We apologize to the President of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people. We ask you to forgive us."

The court retired to deliberate for sentencing.

The facts of hostage-taking, torture, and ill-treatment of prisoners and other persons protected by international humanitarian law have been revealed during the investigation of the criminal case launched by Azerbaijan’s Military Prosecutor’s Office under various articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan in connection with war crimes against peace and humanity committed against Azerbaijanis in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by the armed forces of the Armenian separatist regime operating illegally in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and by the Armed Forces of Armenia.

As a result of the investigation, it was established that Mkrtychyan participated in the activities of armed groups consisting of Armenians who arrived from Armenia, as well as living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and also tortured an Azerbaijani citizen taken hostage on July 12, 1991, and illegally detained him about 17 days in Ballija forest near the town of Khojaly.

Moreover, he also acted as an interpreter during the interrogation by the Armenian special services of a civilian resident of Azerbaijan who was taken hostage on September 13, 1999, in the Tapgaragoyunlu village of the Goranboy district, brought to Yerevan, and was illegally kept in one of the military units.

The investigation also established that Mkrtychyan at various times beat and tortured 11 captured Azerbaijani citizens in the territory of the Khojavand and Agderе districts, in the Shusha prison and in Yerevan, and also shot a serviceman of one of the military units.

Mkrtychyan was detained on October 20, 2020, in the territory of the Malikjanli village of the Fuzuli district by the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan.

Investigative measures carried out also exposed the criminal acts by Alyosha Khosrovyan, a citizen of Armenia, born in 1967, who together with Mkrtichyan tortured Azerbaijanis.

It was revealed that Khosrovyan tortured five Azerbaijanis during their captivity and subjected them to cruel and inhumane treatment.

Thus, a former soldier of the military unit N of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan taken prisoner in April 1994, was exposed to cruel and inhumane treatment by Khosrovyan. During his illegal detention in one of the houses in Mysmina (Aghbulag) village, Khojavand district he was forced to do heavy construction work of a house for the so-called Minister of Defense of ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ Samvel Babayan.

Khosrovyan also demonstrated especial cruelty to soldiers of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, who were taken captives in 1993-1994 and illegally detained in the Shusha city prison. He tortured them by exposing them to regular beatings, starving, and inflicting mental anguish and physical pain.

Khosrovyan was detained by servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on October 3, 2020, while conducting reconnaissance operations in the territories of Azerbaijan.

Charges were brought against Mkrtychyan and Khosrovyan on Articles 113 (torture), 115.2 (violation of war laws and customs), 279.1 (creation of armed formations or groups not provided by law), 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of Azerbaijan) and other articles of the Criminal Code. By court decisions, arrest as a measure of restraint was chosen against them.

The indictment on the criminal case was approved and sent to Baku Military Court for consideration on May 20, 2021.

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