Baku military court continues trial of Armenian citizens as parties exercise right of reply

The criminal trial of several Armenian citizens continued at the Baku Military Court on December 11, with sides given the opportunity to exercise their right of reply.

During the hearing, Senior Assistant Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev addressed defence arguments on the defendants’ alleged roles in a criminal organisation. Aliyev noted that the defence had invoked international practice, stating that such organisations are typically formed for the purpose of committing criminal offenses, Caliber.Az reports via local media. 

According to Aliyev, evidence presented in court indicated that the armed groups in question began forming years before the First Karabakh War.

He said the material reviewed in court showed these groups “received support and weapons from the Armenian leadership,” and that their leaders and members later held political and military positions both in the self-proclaimed entity in the formerly occupied territories of Azerbaijan and in Armenia.

“In other words, these groups were not random, and they subsequently became part of the criminal army that seized Azerbaijani territories. As for the defendants, David Manukyan, for example, was a member of the Shusha battalion, and David Ishkhanyan was the commander of the 28th Martuni battalion. These and other battalions were renamed, more organised, and militarised forms of the aforementioned illegal groups,” the prosecutor said. 

It should be noted that Armenian citizens face charges including crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, preparation and waging of aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing of terrorism, violent seizure and retention of power, and several other crimes.