Armenians charged with plotting terror attack in Azerbaijan stand trial PHOTO

The trial of two Armenian servicemen, Harutyun Yurikovich Hovagimyan and Karen Ashotovich Ghazaryan, who are charged with breaking Azerbaijan's state border and committing a variety of serious crmes, begins at the Sumgayit Grave Crimes Court on July 3.

A preparatory court session to be presided over by Judge Fahmin Humbatov will be held on July 3 to clarify the personal details of the accused and victims.

To recall, four Azerbaijani citizens - Eltun Sarkarli, Rza Allahverdiyev, Asif Babashov and Ibrahim Shikhlarov - were recognized as victims in the case.

The investigation established that Armenian servicemen Hovagimyan and Ghazaryan, both citizens of the Republic of Armenia, illegally crossed the Republic of Azerbaijan's protected state border by prior agreement with a group of people armed with illegally obtained firearms and ammunition and using violence against servicemen of the State Border Service's Zangilan border detachment.

Furthermore, in order to commit a terrorist act on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, they attacked the servicemen of the Republic of Azerbaijan's military unit guarding the state border in the Razdara village of the Zangilan district of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The investigation also established that during the detention of the Armenian sabotage group members who tried to escape, Hovagimyan had a Kalashnikov assault rifle (AKM) and 10 5.45 mm caliber cartridges, the instrument of the crime.

Charges were filed against Hovagimyan and Ghazaryan under Azerbaijani Criminal Code Articles 206.3.2 ("smuggling of firearms and ammunition committed by a group of persons, by prior agreement"), 214.2.1, 214.2.3 ("terrorism, with the use of firearms, by a group of persons, by prior agreement"), 228.2.1 ("illegal acquisition, transportation, possession of firearms committed by a group of persons by prior agreement"), 283.2.1 ("incitement of national, racial, social or religious hatred and enmity, with the use of violence or with the threat of its use") and 318.2 ("illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan, committed either by a group of persons by prior agreement, or by an organised group, or with the use of violence or with the threat of its use").