BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 30
By Samir Ali - Trend:
The trial over Armenian military criminals who tortured Azerbaijani captives during the first Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh war will continue in Baku on July 7, Trend reports.
The trial on the criminal case against Armenian militants Ludwig Mkrtychyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan, who tortured Azerbaijani сaptives and committed other heinous crimes during the first Karabakh war (1991-1994), continued at the Yasamal District Court.
The accused gave testimony at the trial, chaired by a judge of the Baku Military Court Elbay Allahverdiyev.
The public prosecutor filed a petition for the defendants to continue giving testimony after the hearing of the testimony of the witnesses. The petition was granted.
Witness Jeyhun Valibayov said that he was on military service during the detention of Khosrovyan.
"We set up an ambush,” Valibayov said. “Then we saw an approaching UAZ vehicle. When the car with Khosrovyan approached, we detained him. There were weapons and ammunition in the car. We detained him and handed him over to the people working in the appropriate structures."
"Khosrovyan confused the Azerbaijani servicemen with the Armenians and walked in our direction in Jabrayil district,” witness Tural Davudov said. “When he realized that they were Azerbaijani servicemen, he ran back to the car. He wanted to take weapons from the car and shoot us, but failed."
While answering the prosecutor's questions, Khosrovyan said that the Armenian Yerkrapah organization, in which he was a member, had fought with Azerbaijanis in the Nagorno-Karabakh region earlier.
“I learned that the Azerbaijani troops liberated Jabrayil on October 3, 2020,” Khosrovyan said. “However, the officer who called me said that "Armenian soldiers in Jabrayil, don't be afraid, come.”
Former Azerbaijani captive Javid Huseyn said that Khosrovyan, together with Mkrtychyan severely tortured him.
"While speaking a lie, they want to make themselves innocent," Huseyn said.
While giving testimony former Azerbaijani captive Zahid Hasanov stressed that a Russian journalist saw when he was tortured in 1994 in Khankendi.
"Both Alyosha and Ludwig speak the Azerbaijani language fluently,” Hasanov said. “They spoke to us in the Azerbaijani language. They both know me well."
During the trial, Mkrtychyan was offered to voice the last word, but he refused. While answering the prosecutor's questions, Mkrtychyan said that he was born and lived in Nakhchivan until 18 years old.
“I have not seen anything bad from Azerbaijanis,” Mkrtychyan added. “I was in Hadrut for two months. After the ceasefire regime was declared in 1994, I was in Sugovushan. I know that Khojaly town is Azerbaijani territory. I know that the Armenians committed genocide there."
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 the 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 illegally detained in one of the military units.
The investigation also established that Mkrtchyan 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 so-called ‘Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’ 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.
Moreover, 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 on May 20, 2021 and sent to Baku Military Court for consideration.
