Court in Baku and the absurdity of Yerevan Pashinyan’s panic

The best defence is a good offence. Based on this popular saying, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during his speech at the National Assembly on March 5, once again made unfounded accusations about the alleged mistreatment of Armenian citizens accused of war crimes, who are currently on trial in Baku. The Armenian Prime Minister stated that "forbidden means, including physical and psychological pressure, according to our information, and the use of other prohibited methods, are being applied in an unlawful manner."

It should be reminded that this is not the first time Pashinyan has made such absurd accusations. On January 25, in an interview with Armenia's Public Television, he claimed that "Yerevan has intelligence data that banned psychoactive substances are being used on the individuals in Baku from the Karabakh military-political leadership in order to obtain statements that provoke escalation in the region." The very next day, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted Pashinyan’s claims. "Allegations of ill-treatment against prisoners in Azerbaijan had been investigated independently, including by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and had been found to be false," stated the press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On February 6, during a court session, defendant Arayik Harutyunyan called the claims spread in Armenian media about psychological pressure on the accused in the ongoing criminal case and the use of psychoactive substances on them false. He stated, "The conditions of our detention are constantly discussed in Armenian media and other mass media outlets. As far as I understand, the Prime Minister of Armenia has claimed that psychological pressure was exerted on us and that psychotropic drugs were used against us. What concerns me most is our relatives and loved ones. I want to state that I am familiar with the law on detention conditions. All laws are observed in the detention facility, and we are periodically visited by the International Committee of the Red Cross. We have the opportunity to call our families. In the detention facility, we are treated in accordance with the law. Our rights were upheld by investigators during the investigation. Lawyers were always present in the investigative process. I especially want to emphasise that there was no pressure on us. During the investigation, we were always treated within the framework of the law."

But apparently, Armenian intelligence, or rather, the Armenian "word-of-mouth" network, has "found" new "facts" about the alleged use of "psychoactive substances" on Armenian defendants. If we put aside the humorous tone, Nikol Pashinyan's speech perfectly fits into the logic of the ongoing trial in Baku of individuals accused of committing numerous crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, including the preparation and waging of aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and customs of war, as well as terrorism, financing terrorism, violent seizure or retention of power, and more. It is clear that Yerevan is getting very nervous. And there is a reason for this: individuals that Armenia openly supported for decades are now testifying in court. And these individuals are not silent; they are providing testimony that clearly outlines not only the role of the Republic of Armenia in the occupation of Azerbaijani territories but also the guilt of both the current and past leadership in violating the laws and customs of war, committing and financing terrorism on Azerbaijan's sovereign territory.

In this context, we can recall the testimony of Arkadi Ghukasyan, who stated that Armenia provided political, financial, and military support to the Karabakh separatists, as well as the statement by Arayik Harutyunyan, who claimed that he did not issue the order to launch missile strikes on Ganja and other Azerbaijani cities during the 44-day war, as he had no real authority or capacity to carry out such a crime. The defendants unanimously assert that the occupying army in Karabakh was directly subordinate to Yerevan, to the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces. And who could have given the order to the army to launch missile strikes on Azerbaijani cities and villages, resulting in the deaths of innocent people? Nikol Pashinyan. 

Similarly, in court, other facts emerge about the guilt of Armenia's current military-political leadership, which, contrary to international law, not only commanded the occupying army in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan but also provided material and technical support to the separatist junta. By the way, here is another example that shows the Armenian army in Karabakh was directly subordinate to Yerevan. Recently, the former commander of the occupying army in Karabakh, Jalal Harutyunyan, was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison. Pay attention — he was sentenced by a court of general jurisdiction in the Syunik region of Armenia...

Faced with the fact of his exposure, Pashinyan began to panic. Armenia's state responsibility as an occupying country and a series of illegal actions are not only indisputable facts but are also becoming, thanks to the extensive media coverage of the trial, part of the public domain. Pashinyan understands that every statement made by the defendants in court in Baku is tightening the noose around his neck. Hence, his absurd claims. However, these claims are worth nothing at all. As noted above, the defendants themselves refute these allegations. Moreover, the defendants are regularly visited not only by Azerbaijan’s ombudsman but also by representatives of the ICRC. Wouldn't they have noticed any changes in their behavior if psychoactive substances were being used on them?

However, heavy drugs may indeed be involved in this whole story. Recall Nikol Pashinyan's speech in Khankendi, when he screamed in front of the crowd that "Karabakh is Armenia." Remember the expression on his face and his voice cracking into a falsetto.

The court in Baku will nonetheless be completed in accordance with both national and international law. Despite everything. Despite all the absurd statements from Yerevan. And, we are confident, throughout this process, we will hear much more that will cause Pashinyan, Kocharyan, Sargsyan, and others to shiver from the unpleasant chill that will run down their spines.

Finally, we would like to draw attention to another point. During his speech on March 5 in the National Assembly, Pashinyan also stated that "in addition to statements, we continue to remain committed to the peace process." This is hard to believe, given Armenia's active militarization and the "Tetris rags" of the vanished separatist formation, which are still present in the Armenian parliament's session hall and which the "peace-promoting" prime minister stubbornly refuses to notice.

And on Pashinyan's official Facebook page, the map published back in February 2020 still prominently displays Armenia along with the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

You claim to be committed to the peace process? This is not how peace is prepared, neighbors...