Details added (first version posted on 12:57)
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14
Trend:
According to preliminary calculations, the material damage caused by the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia’s Armed Forces amounts to $818.880 billion, Emil Tagiyev, head of the Special Investigation Department of the Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor’s Office, said.
He was speaking March 14 at a scientific and practical conference dedicated to the centennial of the genocide of Azerbaijanis of 1918.
He said that so far, decisions have been made to bring the perpetrators of crimes against humanity, as well as war crimes, to responsibility, in particular, 39 persons regarding the Khojaly genocide, 12 persons regarding the Garadagh genocide, 12 persons regarding the genocide in Baganis Ayrum village, 9 persons regarding the genocide in Mesheli village.
Besides, it was decided to bring to responsibility 47 persons regarding the genocide in Kerkijahan village, 35 persons regarding the facts of torture, three persons regarding the facts of terrorism, as well as 133 persons who committed premeditated murders, etc., under articles 103 (genocide), 107 (deportation or forced relocation of population), 113 (use of torture), 115 (violation of the laws and customs of war) and 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflicts) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, he added.
Tagiyev noted that a preventive measure in the form of arrest was chosen with respect to these persons, and the relevant documents were submitted to the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) for Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry for their search.
More than 75,000 investigative actions were carried out, as part of which 5,000 people were questioned as injured persons or legal successors to legal entities, 6,000 people were questioned as witnesses, 18,236 people were recognized as plaintiffs, and more than 1,000 different examinations were carried out, he said.
Tagiyev added that comprehensive judicial examination was appointed to establish the caused material damage in line with international standards.
“Drawing of the conclusion was assigned to the working group on the assessment of losses as a result of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by the Armenian Armed Forces,” he noted. “Presently, the work continues to bring those who participated and organized the listed crimes to criminal responsibility.”
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.