Baku court hears prosecution against Armenian citizen over role in aggression

The Baku Military Court continued hearings on November 7 in the criminal case against Armenian citizen David Babayan, with prosecutors presenting evidence linking him to Armenia’s military aggression and accusing him of indirectly participating in crimes against peace and humanity.

Assistant Prosecutor General for Special Assignments Tugay Rahimli read out documents and evidence during the hearing, detailing Babayan’s involvement, Caliber.Az reports per Azertag.

According to Rahimli, Babayan joined an illegal formation in 1998 and held various “positions” until 2023, as confirmed by both his testimony and documents examined in the judicial investigation.

Although Babayan was not a military serviceman, prosecutors argued he was more than a civilian and attributed criminal acts committed between 1998 and 2023 to him. Evidence and testimonies presented at trial suggest that Babayan, while not directly participating in combat, played a key role in shaping and implementing the ideology of the self-proclaimed entity and criminal community.

The prosecution stated that Babayan was aware of crimes committed in the interests of this community but did not take any measures to prevent them. On the contrary, by inciting hatred and enmity, he created conditions for further crimes, the prosecution said. 

In interviews and social media posts, he justified the actions of the criminal community, called for the continuation of the occupation, and advocated seizing new territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Rahimli described Babayan as acting as the political founder of military plans and an ideological propagandist. Drawing on precedent from the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, the prosecution emphasised that responsibility for military aggression extends beyond those who took up arms to include those who planned and attempted to legitimise it.

Prosecutors concluded that Babayan, through his conscious and direct involvement in the preparation, organisation, conduct, and legitimisation of the war, indirectly participated in crimes against peace and humanity.

It should be recalled that Armenian citizens are accused of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, including the preparation and waging of aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing of terrorism, violent seizure and retention of power, and numerous other crimes.