Azerbaijan continues trial of Ruben Vardanyan on serious criminal charges PHOTO

The preparatory hearing of the trial of Ruben Vardanyan, a citizen of Armenia accused under various articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including torture, mercenarism, violation of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing terrorism, and other charges, continued on January 27.

The hearing was held at the Baku Military Court located within the Baku Court Complex, presided over by Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev as part of the judicial panel, Caliber.Az reports via Azertag.

During the session, the defendant was provided with a translator for Russian and was ensured legal defence through lawyers.

Victims, their legal heirs, and some of their representatives also attended the preparatory hearing.

The court reviewed motions submitted by Ruben Vardanyan and his lawyer during the session.

While listing his motions, the defendant stated that he had not been able to thoroughly familiarise himself with the materials of the criminal case and requested an additional 30 working days from the court to prepare an effective defence.

"I want to be legally prepared to defend myself," he added.

Ruben Vardanyan's lawyer, Avraam Berman, requested additional time to review the case materials and asked for access to legal literature to enable the defendant to organise an effective defence.

Following this, the prosecution presented its position regarding the motions.

The prosecutor, representing the state, argued from the standpoint of procedural efficiency, stating that the defendant had been given sufficient time to review the case materials to date. The prosecutor also reminded the court that, during the previous hearing, an additional 10 days had been granted to the defendant upon his request to familiarise himself with the investigation materials. The prosecutor opposed any further extension of the preparatory hearing, citing unnecessary delays.

Another prosecutor supporting the state’s position emphasised that the defendant's right to defence was not violated during the preliminary investigation. The indictment, they stated, was drafted in accordance with the requirements of Azerbaijan’s criminal procedural legislation, and the rules of judicial jurisdiction were followed.

As a result, the prosecutor recommended that the court proceed with the trial on the charges against the defendant, set the case for trial, and maintain the previously chosen measure of pre-trial detention without alteration.

In response, Ruben Vardanyan's lawyer objected to proceeding with the case at this stage and requested that the preparatory hearing be postponed to allow additional time.

The court then deliberated to decide on the motions. After the deliberation, the decision was announced.

According to the decision, the motions to grant additional time for reviewing the case materials and other requests made by Ruben Vardanyan were denied.

The judge stated that following the conclusion of the preliminary investigation, the defendant was given time to review the case materials. Additionally, during the initial stage of the preparatory hearing, the defendant was granted extra time for a more detailed review of the materials. The court considered this time sufficient and, therefore, denied the motion. Furthermore, the measure of pre-trial detention imposed on the defendant was upheld without any changes.

The criminal case has been referred for trial, with the next court session scheduled for February 6.

Ruben Vardanyan is accused under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Article 100 (Planning and waging an aggressive war), Article 107 (Deportation or forced displacement of the population), Article 109 (Persecution), Article 112 (Illegal deprivation of liberty contrary to 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 during armed conflict), Article 214 (Terrorism), Article 214-1 (Financing terrorism), Article 218 (Creating a criminal organisation), Article 228 (Illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, or carrying of weapons, ammunition, explosive materials, or devices), Article 270-1 (Acts threatening aviation security), Article 278 (Violent seizure of power, violent retention of power, or forcible alteration of the constitutional order of the state), Article 279 (Creation of armed groups not envisaged by legislation), Article 318 (Illegal crossing of the state border), and other related charges.