Victim testifies on Armenian troops' attack on children during Kalbajar occupation Baku trial

The Baku Military Court continued hearings on July 4 in the ongoing trial of Armenian nationals accused of war crimes, including crimes against humanity and violations of international humanitarian law, during the occupation of Azerbaijani territories in the early 1990s.

One of the victims, Nasiba Guliyeva, delivered harrowing testimony recounting the events of March 31, 1993, when she was just 13 years old. She recalled how, while fleeing Kalbajar with her siblings in a cargo truck, Armenian armed forces opened fire near an area known as “Tunnel.” According to Guliyeva, the group was comprised mainly of children and lacked any military escort, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“They were shooting so much, it was like hail falling from the sky,” she said, adding that she was struck by six bullets and shrapnel, with many fragments still embedded in her body.

Guliyeva further stated that she was taken hostage by Armenian soldiers. She recalled that her sister was taken to the village of Vang in the Aghdara district under the pretext of medical treatment during the first days of their captivity. The next day, they were informed that her sister had died. She said that to this day, there is no information about her sister and two brothers (Aygun, Yashar, and Mazahir Guliyev).

She also mentioned that her brother Bakhtiyar was 9 years old at the time of the incident and still suffers from health issues due to a blow to the head by an Armenian soldier while in captivity.

Guliyeva said they were held in Khankendi for 3 months and 15 days. Upon being released, she was first taken to Yerevan, then transferred to Baku. She added: “My parents are still alive and waiting for their three children. They say the Armenians are keeping them and that they will return...”

The court proceedings form part of a broader legal effort by Azerbaijani authorities to hold individuals accountable for atrocities committed during the First and Second Karabakh wars. The defendants face charges ranging from genocide and war crimes to terrorism, financing of terrorism, and the violent seizure and retention of power.

By Vugar Khalilov