General Prosecutor's Office: Culprit of Meshali genocide detained Azerbaijan adopts Israel's experience

The investigation of the criminal case initiated by the bodies of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the facts of genocide, deportation of persons of Azerbaijani nationality, destruction and damage of numerous property belonging to the state and villagers by members of illegal Armenian armed formations on December 22, 1991, in Meshali village of Khojaly district of Azerbaijan continues.

The investigation established that on December 22, 1991, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a native of Badara village of Askeran district Khachaturyan Vagif Cherkezovich, born in 1955, who lived in this village and worked as a driver at the motor transport enterprise of Khankendi city, together with other persons of Armenian nationality, with the aim of completely destroying the Azerbaijanis living in Meshali village as a national group, carried out an armed raid on the village, using various weapons, including firearms and an infantry fighting vehicle, General Prosecutor's Office told Caliber.Az.

As a result of the raid, 25 people of Azerbaijani nationality were killed, 14 others were wounded of varying severity, and 358 Azerbaijanis were evicted from their places of legal residence without any grounds.

In addition, Khachaturyan Vagif Cherkezovich, continuing joint criminal actions with persons with whom he had previously colluded, caused material damage to the property of the state and villagers to the total amount of 5 million 496 thousand 900 manats ($3.1 million).

On November 12, 2013, Khachaturyan Vagif Cherkezovich was put on the international wanted list as an accused under Articles 103 (genocide) and 107 (deportation or forced resettlement of population) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. By the court's decision, a preventive measure in the form of arrest was chosen in his regard.

On July 29, 2023, as a result of search measures, Vagif Khachaturyan was detained by servicemen of the State Border Service at the Lachin border checkpoint of the Azerbaijani-Armenian State border while attempting to travel to Armenia for medical treatment through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

It will be ensured that Vagif Khachaturyan is accommodated in a medical facility in Baku, that he receives the necessary medical care, and that conditions are created for ICRC representatives to visit him.

At present, the necessary operational and investigative measures are being carried out to bring to justice the other defendants in the criminal case.

It should be noted that after the Second World War, the State of Israel implemented a programme to find, capture and punish Nazi criminals involved in the mass murder of Jews.

Azerbaijan also has the right to find and punish all Armenian war criminals responsible for the killings of Azerbaijanis in Karabakh.