Baku Military Court: Armenian defendant reveals 2016 war orders

During a June 5 session at Azerbaijan’s Baku Military Court, Armenian defendant Levon Mnatsakanyan responded to prosecutors’ questions about his role in the April 2016 clashes and detailed a series of directives he received from the Armenian military leadership during the fighting.

Mnatsakanyan stated that during that period, he served as the so-called “minister of defence” of the self-proclaimed regime in the occupied territories and delivered situation reports to Armenia’s then-Chief of Operational Management of the Armed Forces, Artak Davtyan, and Chief of the General Staff, Yuri Khachaturov, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media. 

“After my report, the Chief of the General Staff gave orders to deploy reserves to their designated concentration areas,” Mnatsakanyan told the court.

He further outlined a series of directives received from the Armenian military leadership during the clashes, including instructions to reinforce frontline positions, mobilise additional troops, reposition reserves, and utilise all available resources to counter the Azerbaijani armed forces’ advances. 

Mnatsakanyan also confirmed the use of heavy weaponry during the hostilities, specifying the deployment of D-20 and D-30 howitzers, BM-21 “Grad” multiple rocket launchers, and small arms.

The trial is part of a broader legal process involving multiple Armenian nationals accused of grave offenses, including crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, genocide, planning and waging an aggressive war, violations of international humanitarian law, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and the violent seizure and retention of power.

The next court hearing is scheduled for June 12.

The defendants — Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan, Arkadi Arshaviri Ghukasyan, Bako Sahaki Sahakyan, Davit Rubeni Ishkhanyan, David Azatini Manukyan, Davit Klimi Babayan, Levon Henrikovich Mnatsakanyan, Vasili Ivani Beglaryan, Erik Roberti Ghazaryan, Davit Nelsoni Allahverdiyan, Gurgen Homeri Stepanyan, Levon Romiki Balayan, Madat Arakelovich Babayan, Garik Grigori Martirosyan, and Melikset Vladimiri Pashayan — are charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan: Article 100 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression); Article 102 (attacking persons or organizations enjoying international protection); Article 103 (genocide); Article 105 (extermination of the population); Article 106 (enslavement); Article 107 (deportation or forced displacement of population); Article 109 (persecution); Article 110 (enforced disappearance of persons); Article 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law); Article 113 (torture); Article 114 (mercenary service); Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare); Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict); Article 118 (military robbery); Article 120 (intentional murder); Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship); Article 214 (terrorism); Article 214-1 (financing terrorism); Article 218 (creation of a criminal organization); Article 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and devices); Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security); Article 277 (assassination of a state official or public figure); Article 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state); Article 279 (creation of armed groups not provided for by law); and other articles.

By Naila Huseynova