BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 13. As reported earlier, the court hearing on the criminal case of Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian national charged under the Azerbaijani Criminal Code with torture, mercenary activity, violation of war laws and customs, terrorism, financing terrorism, and other related offenses, continued on February 13, Trend reports.
During the session, Head of the Department for Prosecutor General’s Office Nasir Bayramov, detailed the specific accusations laid against Vardanyan.
In particular, he stated that, according to the indictment, in September 2022, Ruben Vardanyan illegally crossed the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan bypassing state checkpoints from the territory of the Republic of Armenia in the direction of Lachin district, entered the territory of Azerbaijan, and settled in an area temporarily controlled by Russian peacekeepers in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan.
He collected the funds belonging to himself and citizens of various countries under the guise of the “Aurora” foundation, which he co-founded allegedly for “humanitarian purposes”, the “We are our mountains” organization and other aid campaigns, and used these funds to financially support the armed formations and groups not provided for by Azerbaijani legislation, provide them with military equipment, illegally acquire and import military weapons and equipment into the territory of Azerbaijan, and stored them in specially organized military warehouses.
In addition, he paid monthly salaries to members of what he called “local self-defense groups” not provided for by Azerbaijani legislation, as well as other armed groups and units consisting mainly of professional soldiers. He also colluded with Vladimir (Vova) Levanovich Vartanov, the founder of the terrorist organization “VoMa”, and provided funds for the organization of training for the purpose of committing acts of terror acts against Azerbaijani citizens by instructors of that organization.
He also negotiated with representatives of “AKVA”, a company operating in the Russian Federation, to establish a joint venture for the production of guided anti-aircraft missiles and complexes, target detection stations, battery and radio transmitter blocks, and other devices for use against civilian and military facilities in the occupied sovereign territories of Azerbaijan. He also negotiated and gave relevant instructions on the purchase of helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) intended for use by illegal armed groups in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and the construction of a plant to produce them, as well as the purchase and delivery of radio-electronic warfare systems to illegal armed groups.
At the same time, Ruben Vardanyan, in an action plan personally drawn up by him, put forward the initiative to launch the “Nemesis-2” terrorist operation to commit acts of terror against representatives of Azerbaijan’s diplomatic corps abroad, citizens performing their official and public duties.
Continuing the announcement of the indictment, the Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General, Vusal Aliyev, as well as public prosecutors Fuad Musayev, Vusal Abdullayev and Tarana Mammadova, read out facts related to the mining of the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan occupied by the Armenian state and the continuation of military aggression in this way. It was particularly emphasized that some of the mines planted in the occupied territories were manufactured in Armenia.
It was stated that given the large volume of the indictment, its announcement would be continued in the next hearings.
It should be noted that Ruben Vardanyan is accused of committing acts under Articles 100 (planning and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation or forced displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114 (mercenary activity), 115 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during an armed conflict), 214 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing terrorism) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
He is also accused of committing acts stipulated under Articles 218 (creation of a criminal association (organization)), 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation and possession of weapons, their components, ammunition, explosives and devices), 270-1 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279 (creation of armed formations and groups not provided for by law), 318 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan) and other articles of the Criminal Code.