Baku trial reveals Armenia’s recruitment of foreign mercenaries in 2020 war PHOTO

The open court hearing on criminal cases against citizens of the Republic of Armenia, including Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others, who are accused of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes—including the preparation and conduct of aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and customs of war—as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, forcible seizure and retention of power, and numerous other crimes resulting from Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan, continued on October 9.

During the court session held at the Baku Military Court, presided over by Judge Zeynal Aghayev with a panel consisting of Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (reserve judge Gunel Samadova), each of the accused individuals was provided with an interpreter in their native language, as well as legal representatives for their defense, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The session was attended by the accused individuals, their defense counsel, a portion of the victims, their legal heirs and representatives, as well as prosecutors defending the state prosecution.

During the court proceedings, documents regarding mercenaries recruited for military operations were presented.

In particular, documents received from various state institutions of Azerbaijan were announced, and relevant photographs were displayed.

According to a document dated October 24, 2020, during the 44-day Patriotic War, Armenia made significant efforts to recruit foreign nationals into the ranks of its armed forces in Azerbaijan's occupied sovereign territories to compensate for the losses suffered in the battles.

Specifically, the Armenian government and Armenian diaspora organizations in third countries issued urgent calls to members of the Armenian community to join the fighting in Azerbaijan's then-occupied territories.

Special ticket sales campaigns were organized in foreign countries, and assembly points were designated. As a result, foreign mercenaries from France, the United States, Syria, the Russian Federation, and other countries participated in the military operations taking place in Azerbaijan's then-occupied sovereign territories by Armenia. Military operations also involved recruitment by "VoMA" (a military training center operating in Yerevan), ASALA, and other terrorist organizations.

According to another document, the "VoMA" organization was established by Vladimir Vartanov, who maintains close friendly ties with former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and individuals close to him, as well as with Alek Yenikomshyan, an active member of the ASALA terrorist organization.

The organization's military trainings were conducted in the mountainous areas of Armenia's Jermuk and Dilijan districts during winter months, and in the summer in the Kesdag village of Azerbaijan's then-occupied Kalbajar district and in Armenia's Bjni village.

The military trainings were led by Armenian citizens Vardan Enokyan, Samvel Galstyan, Bagrat Beglaryan, Artak Bagratyan, Levon Gevorgyan, Badal Safaryan, Gor Melkonyan, Garegin Baghdiyan, and Spartak Hovhannisyan. The group leader was Gevorg Grigoryan, responsible for the accommodation of organization members was Edqar Arshakyan, responsible for food matters was Qosh Galstyan, and the general instructor was Vaginak Vartanov (son of Vladimir Vartanov).

Coordination of "VoMA" with Armenians living in the Russian Federation was handled by Tananyan Gayane Arturovna, an honorary member of the Russian representation of the "Yerkrapah" organization and a Russian citizen. The financial resources required for "VoMA"'s activities were mainly formed from donations sent from the Russian Federation, as well as from the United States, France, Austria, and Lebanon, along with assistance from entrepreneurs in Armenia and membership fees from participants.

Another document notes that the leader of the "VoMA" organization, Vladimir Vartanov, was born in Yerevan in 1965 and served as an advisor to former Armenian Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsyan in 1992. He supports the Nazi Garegin Nzhdeh's ideology of "the duty of self-defense."

It is noted that starting from September 27, 2020, Armenian armed forces actively involved citizens from Lebanon, France, and the United States in battles in the Sugovushan direction.

The "volunteer" detachments from foreign countries were led by a Lebanese citizen known by the nickname "Baron Norik." Among them was a Lebanese citizen named Hakop and a U.S. citizen with the same name.

French citizen Gilbert Minasyan, who has ties to ASALA, reported sending 15 French citizens of Armenian descent to fight in the then-occupied sovereign territories of Azerbaijan. Foreign citizens including Artur Oganesyan (France), Stefan Keshishyan (Syria), Gevorg Khachyan (Lebanon), Armen Knyazyan (Spain), Arushan Badalyan (USA), and others participated in battles against Azerbaijan as part of the volunteer units.

According to the presented document, Armen Knyazyan had friendly relations with Arayik Harutyunyan and also participated in the April 2016 clashes.

Armen Artavazd Knyazyan was born in 1974, moved to the Federal Republic of Germany for work, and later to the Kingdom of Spain with his family, where he acquired citizenship. He owns three restaurants named "El Italiano Giorgio" in Lloret de Mar (Girona). When the Patriotic War began in 2020, he came to Azerbaijan's then-occupied territories with his nephews Sarkis and Norik and participated in combat operations as part of the Armenian armed forces. After his death, the puppet regime awarded him the title of "hero."

Artur Oganesyan, who came from Marseille, France, participated in combat operations in the Hadrut and Jabrayil districts of Azerbaijan as part of the Armenian armed forces during the 2020 Patriotic War.

According to another document, in addition to the Armenian armed forces, mercenaries brought from foreign countries (Syria, Russian Federation, Spain, Canada, France, Greece, Lebanon, Middle East, and Latin American countries) and fighters who are members of various terrorist organizations also participated against the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in Azerbaijan's formerly occupied territories.

Previously, such mercenaries were invited to train Armenian military personnel in reconnaissance, sabotage, terrorist operations, and object explosions, but later they were directly involved in combat.

Subsequently, documents were presented regarding the shelling of residential areas in the Tovuz and Gazakh districts in July 2020, the killing of five people in a GAZ-53 vehicle in Gulistan village of Goranboy district on August 27, 1992, the shelling of Azerbaijani residents in Gulistan village on September 19 of the same year, the killing of Yagubova Aynur Hashtarkhan gizi, Aslanov Firdovsi Bayram oglu and Aslanov Kamran Ramiz oglu on June 26, 1993, as well as other individuals.

The court proceedings will continue on October 10.

Fifteen defendants of Armenian origin are accused in the criminal case concerning numerous crimes committed during the aggressive war waged by the Armenian state - including the aforementioned criminal association - on the territory of Azerbaijan, in violation of domestic and international legal norms. These crimes were committed for the purpose of military aggression against Azerbaijan and were carried out under the direct leadership and participation of the Armenian state, officials of its state institutions, its armed forces, and illegal armed formations, through their written and verbal orders, instructions, and guidelines; material, technical, and personnel support; centralized management; as well as under strict control and under the leadership and direct or indirect participation of Robert Sedraki Kocharyan, Serzh Azati Sargsyan, Vazgen Mikaeli Manukyan, Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan, Samvel Andraniki Babayan, Vitali Mikaeli Balasanyan, Zori Hayki Balayan, Seyran Musheghi Ohanyan, Arshavir Surenovich Garamyan, Monte Charles Melkonyan, and others.

The following individuals - Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan, Arkadi Arshaviri Ghukasyan, Bako Sahaki Sahakyan, Davit Rubeni Ishkhanyan, David Azatini Manukyan, David 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 being 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 additional articles.