BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 3. The Armenian side must keep in mind that international humanitarian law does not contain any constraints that would preclude the implementation of appropriate actions against war criminals in the case of the arrest of Vagif Khachatryan, who committed a crime against humanity, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement in response to recent remarks made by Nikol Pashinyan, the prime minister of Armenia, during a speech at a government gathering.
"This person was taken into custody in accordance with Azerbaijani law and international law. Instead of defending and hiding the actions of those who committed crimes against humanity and mass killings, including genocide against Azerbaijanis during the nearly 30-year occupation, the Armenian side should support efforts to hold them criminally accountable, the statement said.
The investigation into the criminal case filed by the Military Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan under the relevant sections of the Criminal Code pertaining to the facts of genocide, deportation of Azerbaijanis, and destruction of numerous properties belonging to rural residents and the state on December 22, 1991, in the village of Meshali (Khojaly district), is still ongoing.
At the same time, the investigation determined that Khachatryan, an Azerbaijani national who was born in Badara Village in the Khojaly District in 1955 and who was employed as a driver for Khankendi City Automobile Transport Company, along with other Armenians, killed all of the Azerbaijani residents of Meshali Village (in the Khojaly District) collectively using a variety of weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles.
They attacked the village with a variety of weaponry, including rifles and infantry fighting vehicles, and, in violation of local, national, and international legal norms, 358 Azerbaijanis were forcibly removed from their homes.
Additionally, Khachatryan and his associates persisted in their criminal activities, destroying and damaging state and village property, costing a total of nearly 5.96 million manat ($3.5 million) in material damage.
Due to the existence of sufficient and reasonable suspicions surrounding the criminal case, it was decided to include Khachatryan as an accused person under Articles 103 (massacre) and 107 (deportation or forcible removal of the population) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
However, because the investigation had no idea of his whereabouts, the court's decision led to the issuing of an international arrest warrant on November 12, 2013.
Vagif Khachatryan attempted to travel to Armenia for medical treatment through the International Committee of the Red Cross on July 29, 2023, but was stopped by agents of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan at the Lachin border checkpoint of the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border as a result of the investigation measures taken.