Azerbaijan announces trial dates for 16 former Nagorno-Karabakh officials
Azerbaijan has announced January 17 as the starting date of the trial in the criminal cases against detained Armenian prisoners and Nagorno-Karabakh officials, including three former presidents and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.
The state news agency APA reported that the trials will cover two cases, one specifically for Vardanyan, and another collective case against 15 officials.
The 15 include three former presidents — Arayik Harutyunyan (2020–2023, Arkadi Ghukasyan (1997–2007), and Bako Sahakyan (2007–2020) — and former Parliamentary Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, former Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, and former Nagorno-Karabakh Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan. Vardanyan’s case has not yet been brought to court.
Others awaiting trial include Davit Manukyan, Garikh Martirosyan, Melikset Pashayan, Davit Allahverdyan, Gurgen Stepanyan, Levon Balayan, Madat Babayan, Vasili Beglaryan, and Erik Ghazaryan.
Vardanyan’s case was split from the others’ after new charges were pressed against him. The pro-government media outlet Yeni Musavat has reported that Ruben Vardanyan had been charged under a total of 42 articles of criminal code.
Reports in mid-December indicated that he could face up to 45 charges, while the 15 other former officials were accused of committing crimes in a total of 2,548 instances, including genocide, slavery, enforced disappearance of persons, torture, financing of terrorism, the creation of a criminal association, among others.
Azerbaijani pro-government media outlets have reported that all imprisoned former Nagorno-Karabakh officials have been provided with lawyers, but did not specify who was representing them.
