BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 27. The next open preparatory court session in the criminal case regarding crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, including the conduct of aggressive warfare, genocide, forced population relocation, persecution, torture, robbery, and other illegal acts committed by Armenia and its armed forces, as well as the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" created by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, will continue today, Trend reports.
The session will be chaired by Judge of the Baku Military Court Zeynal Aghayev at the Baku Judicial Complex.
To recall, the preparatory session began on January 17. The defendants are provided with Armenian-language interpreters and defense attorneys.
The prosecution is represented by six prosecutors, while the Azerbaijani government is represented by Rufat Mammadov, head of the Cabinet of Ministers' office, as the victim on behalf of the Azerbaijani state.
Notably, there are more than 531,000 victims and their representatives in this criminal case.
Based on the collected credible evidence, 15 individuals have been charged for crimes committed by the armed forces of Armenia and illegal armed formations in a total of 2,548 incidents. The accused are Arkady Ghukasyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Davit Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Davit Manukyan, Garik Martirosyan, Melikset Pashayan, Davit Allahverdyan, Gurgen Stepanyan, Levon Balayan, Madat Babayan, Vasili Beglaryan, and Erik Ghazaryan. They face charges under several articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, based on the periods of their involvement in criminal acts.
The charges include crimes such as planning, preparation, initiation, or waging an aggressive war (Article 100); attacks on internationally protected persons or institutions (Article 102); genocide (Article 103); destruction of population (Article 105); slavery (Article 106); deportation or forcible transfer of population (Article 107); persecution (Article 109); forcible detention (Article 110); deprivation of liberty contrary to international law (Article 112); use of torture (Article 113); mercenarism (Article 114); violations of laws or customs of war (Article 115); violations of international humanitarian law during armed conflict (Article 116); war theft (Article 118); willful killing (Article 120); illegal entrepreneurship (Article 192); terrorism (Article 214); financing of terrorism (Article 214-1); organization of a criminal association (Article 218); illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, or possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and explosive devices (Article 228); acts threatening aviation security (Article 270-1); attempts on the life of a statesman or public figure (Article 277); violent seizure or retention of power, violent change of the constitutional order (Article 278); and the creation of unauthorized armed formations or groups (Article 279), among other offenses.
The preparatory hearing in the case of Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian citizen facing charges under Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code for torture, mercenarism, violations of war laws, terrorism, financing terrorism, and other offenses, is set to continue on January 27.
Although Vardanyan was provided adequate time during the preliminary investigation to review case materials in a language he understood and prepare his defense, the court, considering his request, granted an additional 10 days for him to familiarize himself with the documents.
A final indictment has been issued against him under various articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including: Article 100 (planning, preparing, initiating, or waging an aggressive war), Article 107 (deportation or forcible transfer of population), Article 109 (persecution), Article 112 (unlawful deprivation of liberty in violation of international law), Article 113 (torture), Article 114 (mercenarism), Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of war), Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law norms during armed conflict), Article 214 (terrorism), Article 214-1 (financing of terrorism), Article 218 (establishment of a criminal organization), Article 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, or carrying of firearms, their components, ammunition, explosive substances, and devices), Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security), Article 278 (forceful seizure of power and its forcible retention, forceful alteration of the state's constitutional order), Article 279 (creation of armed groups and units not provided for by law), 318 (illegal crossing of the state border of Azerbaijan).
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